


Starlight and Stowaways//Camp Camp Reader insert

by DatDiamondTho



Series: Starlight and Stowaways [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, Biromantic asexual reader, C r y p t i d s, David is a sweet boi, Found Family, Gen, I only tagged the important characters lmao, I'm bad at writing romance oof, Reader Insert, Reader experiments with their sexuality, Reader-Insert, So writing Gwenvid parts will be difficult, Spoilers, The reader and Max get super close and it's quite adorable, but yeah the reader's dad is absolute shit, contains physical and emotional abuse oof, friends to siblings, im a slut for characters with super tragic backstories, you and daniel know and hate each other with a burning passion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-06-01 03:24:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 70,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15134015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DatDiamondTho/pseuds/DatDiamondTho
Summary: (I stole this story from my wattpad account lmao)F/N, the Daughter.F/N, the Runaway.F/N, the Ghost Thief.F/N, the...... the Friend?----------F/N was a girl who lived in the forest surrounding Camp Campbell, after escaping the horrors of her old life. With only a sacred knife at her side, she managed to make herself a nice home as a stowaway in the middle of the woods, occasionally stealing food from the surrounding camps in the dead of night. However, what happens when she gets caught by a few campers from Camp Campbell?----------Camp Camp and all its characters belongs to Rooster Teeth.





	1. In which F/N crashes an entire fucking bus for the hell of it

It was a warm and sunny day. The skies were blue with only a few misty clouds here and there, birds were chirping in the trees, the wildflowers in the clearing had bloomed and were giving off a calming scent, and in the distance, children were laughing and screaming. All these things were what a certain H/C haired gal was experiencing, as she laid down in the middle of the clearing.

The girl smiled warmly as a butterfly flew by her nose, before landing on a cyan flower next to her. She sat up and stretched before looking at the position of the easily seen sun in the sky. It looked to be about 10:30am. The girl sighed and stood up, brushing dirt off her brown pants and green hoodie. When was the last time she had a bath? She forgot, which meant it was probably time for another. The girl trudged through the clearing and into the woods, knowing full-well where she was. She didn't remember how long it's been, but still, it was a life she wouldn't trade for anything, despite how hard it is.

Soon, after a series of twists and turns, she made it to the place she called home; a large, hollowed out Oak tree she had found. The trunk was large; she guessed about 20 feet in diameter, probably due to a mutation. The tree didn't used to be hollow.

When she first found it, she stole an axe from the nearby camp and cut herself a way in, eventually creating a small crevice she could sit and lie down in. Soon, she had decided to dig down in the crevice as well, successfully creating a space she had no idea at the time would become a home for her. That was maybe a few years ago; a time when she was desperate for shelter and food, and afraid. So so afraid.

Images of the girls old life flashed before her eyes in an instant, causing her E/C orbs to tear up slightly. However, she quickly wiped her tears away and crawled into her private hideaway, taking a small sip of water from the large metal bucket that sat next to her bed, which was a pile of leaves. Next to the bucket was her trusty bag; she's had it for years, and it still managed to hold everything she needed without breaking apart. The girl reached inside and pulled out a small bottle of shampoo and a towel, more items she had stolen for her personal benefit. She set the two objects aside and dumped out the rest of her bag on the floor, before putting the towel and shampoo back in. She looked at the pile on the floor, before rummaging through it and finding what she needed.

Her current needs consisted of a ratty old Camp Campbell T-Shirt and shorts, as well as an aged sports bra and panties. Everything she had stolen. It's been possibly a few years since she had first arrived, and kids her age tended to grow a lot during that time. She stuffed the items into the bag along with her other stuff, and slung it over her shoulder. Then, she crawled out of her small but homey hideaway before taking to the rest of the woods.

After about 5 minutes of walking, the girl smiled as she heard the familiar sound of running water. A creek. She jogged towards the noise until she finally reached the small stream of water. Smiling, she adjusted her bag on her back and continued walking, this time walking along the familiar trail that followed the creek to its source; a small, clean pond with a tiny waterfall pouring into it.

The girl stripped after making sure nobody was around, set her bag down onto a rock, and stepped into the cold water. She shuddered, but grabbed her shampoo from her bag and stepped under the falling water anyways. As she washed herself, she couldn't help but notice how thick and long her hair had gotten; the hair on her head, on her legs, and on her underarms. It's not like she could help it, though. It wasn't like razors and scissors grew on trees in the woods. She'd cut it with her knife, but she didn't trust herself not to fuck it up and either cut herself by accident or cut it unevenly and make it look terrible.

Suddenly, the girl heard something. There was something moving nearby, and it was drawing closer. Thinking quickly, she grabbed her bag and hid it under the rock it was sitting on. Then, she hid behind the waterfall, sinking under a small space in the rocks. It wasn't natural; she had just thought ahead a couple of months ago and made a small wall behind the waterfall using nearby rocks to hide her body in the water. She peeked through a small crack in her wall and observed, squinting to see past the water falling in front of her sight. A single happy voice broke through the air.

"Aaaaalright, Max! We did it! We found the pond!" said voice beamed, "And it was all because we followed the path of most resistance! Amazing, right?!"

'Oh fuck.' the girl thought, 'It's the Camp Man.'

"Yeah, David. Reeeeeeeeal interesting. Can we go back now? I have a noose to tie." a new voice sarcastically replied. 'He sounds young and grouchy. An edgy 12 year old maybe?' The girl peered through the crack further, trying to see the sources of the voices. Yep, it was definitely the camp man and some kid.

Camp Man, or David as the kid said, had reddish brown hair with swooped up bangs, greenish blue eyes, and pale skin. He was wearing a green Camp Campbell shirt under a short brown vest and yellow bandana around his neck. He also had greenish-brown pants that were held up by a brown belt, white socks with blue stripes, and brown hiking boots. Yep. It was Camp Man alright.

The kid was actually younger than the girl initially thought. He had curly black hair, mint green eyes, and tan skin. He was wearing a blue hoodie over what she thought was a yellow shirt. It was probably another Camp Campbell shirt. He was also wearing blue jeans and red sneakers with a single white stripe. How the girl could see this, she would never know. Nor did she care. All she cared about at that moment was not being seen by neither of the two.

"Now Max, don't be so negative! I just thought that maybe we could go for a quick walk to calm our nerves before the new campers arrive. Just enjoy it while you can!" David pleaded, crouching down to Max's height, only to be slapped across the face. The H/C haired girl had to choke back a snort to avoid detection.

"Yeah, sure. Like taking a walk through the fucking woods alone with an impossibly happy moron that I hate with a passion is going to 'calm my nerves'. You're getting on my last one, in fact. So, fuck off and let me go back to camp!" Max whined, walking back to the treeline.

"Alright, but you're spending the rest of the day by my side!" David called to him, jogging to catch up with the angry 10 year old.

"Fuck off!" the girl heard in the distance, as well as the fast crunching of leaves getting farther and farther away.

Once the girl was sure the duo was gone, she moved out from behind the water and sat down on a rock beneath the wetness and dunked her head, successfully ridding her hair of the sweet smelling soap that was lathered into the strands. After uncovering her bag from beneath the rock it was hidden under, she wrung out her hair and grabbed the towel she had brought with. She stepped out of the water and wrapped the towel around her body, swiftly drying herself off. She then grabbed her clothes and put them on, stuffing the dirty ones, the shampoo, and the towel into her bag before heading back down the trail to her humble abode.

'New campers, huh?' the girl thought as she jumped over a small bush, 'This oughta be interesting. Especially with that Max kid's attitude.'

After about 15 minutes, I made it to my tree. I looked up and saw my other clothing on the makeshift clothesline, drying. I smiled at my work, and set my bag inside before climbing up onto the 'balcony.' Really, I just climbed the tree. But anyways, I placed my hand on each hanging garment to check their dampness. They were still kinda wet, but that was ok. It gave me more time to play around.

I decided to check on that camp that I had almost encountered earlier. That David dude said that there were going to be new campers arriving soon, so that would be fun to witness. Currently, I was sitting high in a tree by the bus stop, a long dirt road where campers were dropped off and picked up. 12 feet below me stood David and Max, who were waiting for the bus to arrive.

"Can you believe it Max?" David gushed excitedly, "We're getting not one, not three, but two new campers today!"

"Yep. It's really, truly horrifying." Max huffed, burying his head into his hoodie collar even further. David leaned near his face.

"Horrifying? What? Are you afraid of making a few new friends?" he asked, ruffling the angry boy's black hair. Max quickly fixed it.

"I'm not here to make friends, David. I'm here because camp is where kids are sent when their parents don't wanna deal with them." Oh yikes. "Why do you think we return the favor when they hit 70?" OH YIKES.

"Hang on a sec, what are you even doing out here?" David asked.

"Well it's definitely not because the bus only comes in from the city to drop and pick up campers, and so far seems to be my only reasonable method of escaping this fucking nightmare of a camp. Definitely not that." I was lucky a big bird cawed in the distance to cover up my giggle. Man, this kid was hilarious, even if he was obviously a fucking prick.

"Heeey..." David accusedly pointed a finger at the boy, "......Language."

"Suck a dic-" Max was interrupted by David picking him up from his armpits.

"All I want is for you kids to have as much fun as I did when I was a Campbell camper! Is that really too much to ask?"

"I refuse to believe that someone as happy as you could possibly exist."

I jumped slightly on my perch as a sudden horn blared. It was the bus.

David gasped and dropped Max. "The bus is here!" He began to run towards the noise, frantically waving an arm. "HELLOOOO! Welcome to Camp Campb- AAAAAUGH!" He was cut off by the giant yellow vehicle slamming into him. I busted out laughing, causing Max to looked around confusedly. I quickly slammed my hand over my mouth to hide my hysterics and huge grin.

The bus doors opened to reveal a short teal-haired girl with pigtails, pink eyes, a yellow shirt, red overalls, and teal shoes, as well as a tall boy with curly light brown hair, baby blue eyes, a yellow sweater, red pants, and white shoes. Wait, it's Summer! Why was the boy wearing a sweater?

"Kids are here." I could barely hear the Quartermaster grumble, making me shudder. God, I hated the Quartermaster. Dumb, intimidating, kinky, old fuck.

I snapped out of my thoughts as the girl jumped out of the bus in front of Max and took a deep breath.

"Oh yeah, smell that nature! Oh, that's the stuff!" she exclaimed. Behind her, David had stood up and shook off his shock.

"Uh, well, hello there, little lady! You must be Nikki! My name is David!" He reached his hand out for the girl to shake. "Your camp-" he was interrupted by the girl suddenly biting his wrist.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" I was now laughing so hard, that I wasn't even laughing. Just silently heaving constantly. It was quite painful, actually.

"Um, excuse me?" A timid voice said, and everyone turned our attention to the boy in the sweater. "I-is this science camp?" he asked, causing Nikki to release her jaws grip on David's arm. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Max sneak onto the bus. Oh boy.

"No silly, this is adventure camp! Ad-ven-ture? My mom said so! Unless she was lying... again..." She turned to David. "Sorry about that hand, by the way. Just exerting dominance. You know how it goes." The boy in the sweater walked up.

"Uh, and you must be Neil! Well, you two will be happy to know that Camp Campbell is both of the- AAAAAAAAAAA!" And once again, David's body slammed into the ground as the large bus hit him.

"Grhhhh, stupid prepubescent legs!" I heard Max lament from inside as the Quartermaster boarded the bus.

"Not today, child. The only one driving this bus is me." he said as he set Max down, who was hanging from his hoodie, which was being held by the Quartermasters hook hand. I cringed.

"Uh, thank you, Quartermaster." David thanked as he rubbed his back.

"You're on your own, now." Quartermaster grumbled, before pulling out a bottle that most likely contained some sort of toxic waste. "Going on break. Be back for the bus at noon." he said, walking away.

David watched QM walk away before he scowled and crouched down to Max's level.

"Maaax, you are not leaving my side for the rest of the day." he ordered.

"We'll see about that, Camp Man." Max growled, and David stood up. Suddenly, Neil walked up.

"So what's your deal?" he asked.

Max sighed and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm just a kid trying to survive out here, Neil."

"Now let's go check out the camp, kids!" David suddenly said, dramatically twirling and pointing in the direction of the Mess Hall.

Welp, that's my cue. As they walked away, I skillfully slid down the tree silently and crouched behind the trees, following them to their destination.

"The first stop on any good tour is the flagpole!" David announced proudly, "I can't help but give it the official Camp Campbell salute everytime I see it!"

....Wow. I have no words to describe this dude except his presence is making me itchy. The itch is either coming from him or... I looked on my shoulder and almost shrieked, as there was a huge spider on it. I quickly swatted it off, almost tripping and giving myself away. The group looked over in my direction in confusion, but didn't see me and shrugged it off. Thank God.

"But anyways, Beside the flagpole is our Mess hall, which-" David cut himself off my saluting the flag pole again, his hand against his forehead with his ring finger bent.

"Uhp! Sorry, saw the flag again. Beside the flagpole is our Mess hall, which is connected to the Quartermaster store. It's here that we'll serve meals, hold announcements, and occasionally take part in camp activities." David quickly gestured to Max.

"Tell them just how much you love it, Max!"

"See, that's the sad thing. He still actually thinks that I love it." the boy sassed, glancing at Neil and Nikki, and in my direction in slight confusion.

Shit. Was he onto me? I knew that I was hidden well, being covered by the bundles of branches and leaves that stood in Max's line of vision.

David replied to Max's snarky comment, walking towards the door of the Mess hall. "And who wouldn't? Now, let's step up inside and meet my co-counselor, Gwen, who's in the middle of a camp activity right now!"

Oh, so that's the name of that lady who hit me with that broom that one time. I had to contain my snickers to avoid detection as I recalled the silly memory.

_It was late at night, there was no moon out, and clouds covered the entire sky. I had been creeping around the camp's Mess hall, intending on sneaking some food. I couldn't find any deer or rabbits to hunt that day, so needless to say, I was starving._

_I crept through the doors of the Mess hall and quietly snuck into the kitchen, being sure to take off my boots before stepping inside to avoid leaving any trails. As I stepped into the pantry, I heard the door to the Mess hall squeak as it opened slowly. 'Shit.' I thought. Quickly, I gently closed the door to the pantry, turning the knob before closing as to not make any noise. I turned on my (stolen) flashlight, the beam of light gently illuminating where I wanted to see. I grinned, seeing the abundance of fruits, vegetables, juices, and other things. I opened my bag and began grabbing stuff, putting them tightly into my bag. I was about to leave when I heard shuffling right in front of the door. I quickly turned off the flashlight and held it like a bat, ready to smack the shit out of whoever was going to come in._

_I waited..._

_And waited..._

_And waited..._

_'....My arm is getting tired...'_

_"............"_

_The footsteps walked away from the door and out of the room._

_Fucking finally. I quickly stuffed the flashlight into my bag, closed it, and pulled up my hood before putting my bag on and slowly opening the pantry door a crack. I peered out, my eyes searching for any sign of movement. There was none. I smirked proudly and opened the door all the way before closing it behind me as I leisurely walked to the front door and put my boots back on. I was about to open the door when it suddenly slammed open, startling me._

_I squealed, the door revealing a tan woman wearing a green shirt, brown shorts, and brown boots. I couldn't tell what color her eyes were, as it was too dark to see. I smushed myself against the wall beside her line of vision, praying she didn't see me in the dark._

_She did._

_"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" She yelled, suddenly swatting the broom at me. I yelped in pain as it smacked the side of my head, and scrambled towards the door. However, she grabbed my ankle, causing me to fall and hit my nose on the floor. Panicking, I kicked my legs and quickly lifted myself up when I heard her yell in pain, before storming out the door and back into the woods. I could hear her pursuing me, but she stopped when I jumped over a bush and disappeared._

Ahhh, good times.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" I heard Gwen scream from inside, making everyone jolt. The kids, David and Gwen chatted for a little bit inside, a conversation I couldn't hear from outside. I decided that I've seen enough and decided to sneak over to the lake.

While I was still hidden from sight of the campers, I was able to take off my boots and socks and dip my feet into the water, the cool liquid stinging various scratches on my feet and legs. How I got them, I personally had no idea. Probably from running around the woods barefoot. I tended to do that a lot, getting used to the feeling of stepping on various objects. I could probably step on a Lego and not feel it by now.

Suddenly, I heard the Mess hall doors open, and all the campers and counselors filed out. I quickly flung myself behind a bush, throwing on my socks and boots in the process. Once again, I accidentally made a bit of noise, and could feel everyone's gazes dart to my direction. I froze and held my breath, trying not to make a sound. Luckily, it worked, and everyone went back to their conversations. Thank God.

David began to speak as he, Gwen, Nikki, Max, Neil, and Mr. Campbell approached the activities area.

"Here at Camp Campbell, we pride ourselves on the variety of our curriculum."

"There's extreme sports camp." Gwen said as a blonde girl with pink highlights went down a shitty makeshift ramp on a skateboard, only for the ramp to break.

"Magic camp." A kid wearing a magician costume made a pose, only to be slammed in the face with a tomato that some red head kid had thrown.

"Space camp." A kid wearing a shitty astronaut suit was sitting in a cardboard spaceship, only to fall over.

"Theatre camp." A boy with short brown hair and holding a fake skull tried acting, only to be hit in the face with a tomato by the same kid.

"Art camp." A boy who looked like Hitler was painting a dog wearing a red armband, and a red flower shaped like a swastika next to it. "It's a dog!" the boy said in a German accent.

"Other magic camp." The magician boy was walking by and a girl with short hair swung a fake sword at him, threw a bunch of dice at him, and yelled "Lightning bolt!"

"And lots more. Lots of stuff." Gwen finished.

"How much more stuff?" Nikki asked.

David tried to speak. "Well I'm glad you asked, because I have a little song that I can sing-"

"No." It was Gwen.

"When Gwen's not around." David finished.

I noticed Max running away again, towards the direction of the bus. I sighed and shook my head. Again? When will that kid ever learn? But if he really wants to leave that badly, then I don't blame him...

Gwen turned to the White Haired Fiend (as I called Mr. Campbell). "By the way, Mr. Campbell, now that you're here maybe we can discuss just exactly how we're supposed to operate at this scale-"

"Hey, is that kid trying to escape?" WHF asked, pointing at Max's retreating form. I couldn't help but stare at Max as he ran. Did he really expect to escape on his own? Without help?

David was quick to stop him and said some things to him before picking him up and taking him back to the camping area.

'He REALLY wants to leave.' I thought, staring at the kid. 'Maybe I could help him?'

"Excuse me, what the hell is this?!?" Neil demanded, gesturing to the poorly set-up "lab".

"Ah, I see you've found it!" David congratulated, "That, my friend, is Science camp!"

On the shitty structure, a piece of wood fell with a thud.

"But-but-but- This isn't what I signed up for!" Neil complained, pulling out a brochure from his pocket. "I just wanted Science camp! Not Science camp and more! I don't want more!"

Mr. Campbell walked over to the upset child. "Well, that's why you read the fine print, Sport! See, right there: And more." he had picked up a magnifying glass from the table and magnified the 'and more' on the brochure. "Now you can't sue us!"

'What a dick. No wonder that kid wants to escape.' I thought. Suddenly, I had an idea.

'Wait, I've driven a bus before! Maybe I can get on the bus without being seen, and if that kid manages to get on, I could get him away...?' It seemed difficult, but if I left right now to the bus, I could probably hide under a seat until the kids got on, or until the Quartermaster began driving...? I hoped the latter wouldn't happen, because I was already creeping towards the large yellow vehicle.

I couldn't help but snicker as I heard Neil yell "THIS IS BULLSHIT!" in the distance. I noiselessly climbed up into the bus and checked out the ignition. The keys were still there. I grinned and took them, stuffing them into my sweatshirt pocket. Just in case the Quartermaster got on instead of the kids. Quickly, I hid under the first seat on the left, and waited. I couldn't help but hear the noise of rapid firing guns in the distance, and sighed. This shit again.

Soon, I heard the rapid footsteps of running. 3 pairs of footsteps, in fact. I smiled. Guess that edgy kid's got friends. I sat up from lying down into a crouch, ready to pounce into the driver's seat.

"There it is!" I heard Max yell excitedly, panting in between breaths.

"They're right behind us!" yelled Neil, panicking. Oh jeez, should I bail...?

"Max, get back here! You're being a bad influence on our new campers!" Yep, that was Davey boy.

"Never!" Max again.

"Max! Hurry!" There goes Nikki. They were getting really close. I wonder how I should explain my situation to them, if they ask, that is?

Suddenly, the 3 kids jumped onto the bus, Nikki going into the driver's seat.

"REMEMBER THIS FACE, DAVID! BECAUSE YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT AGAIN!" Max shouted in victory.

Nikki slammed on the gas but the bus didn't move, making the kids panic.

"NO! NO NO NO NO-" Max yelled. I suddenly jumped up from my spot and tore Nikki out from the driver's seat and tossed her into my previous spot, before slamming the keys into the ignition and turning the large vehicle on. I quickly closed the doors and hit the gas, causing the bus to zoom away from the camp. I grinned in victory. Maybe I could find a homeless shelter if I could find a town somewhere?

I heard footsteps and felt eyes on me. I looked into the rearview mirror, and saw Max looking at me in glee, Neil with shock, and Nikki with excitement.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Nikki screamed, jumping up and down. I looked at the dirt road ahead, making sure we were going the right way. I could tell we were, due to the signs.

"Yeah! Did you see the look on David's face? Priceless!" Neil mused, taking a seat. Max was about to do the same, but he froze.

"Are you from Camp Campbell?" he asked, seemingly suspicious.

I shook my head. "Nah."

"Then, what's with the Camp T-shirt, dirt-stained jeans, and boots? Are you a counselor or camper that I didn't know about or something?" Max interrogated, walking up to the dashboard. 

"What did I just say? I'm not from that shit camp. I'm not a counselor, nor a camper. Calm your metaphorical tits." I replied, slowing down to make a left turn. It looked like a few more turns and we could be outta these woods. The thought made me smile internally.

"Then..." Neil began, "How are you even here? Did you somehow manage to sneak onto this bus in the city or something?"

Fuck. How was I going to explain this? I noticed the kids began narrowing their eyes at me, their suspicions rising. I sighed.

"Alright, sit down kiddos. This is gonna be kinda challenging to explain..." I strained, coming up to another turn. I could see we were about to go down a hill on the road, and down the hill was a town. I smirked; we were almost there.

Max scoffed. "And why should we trust you? Maybe you put bombs in the seats?" I rolled my eyes and suddenly hit the brakes, causing Max to hit his head on the window.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK?!?"

"I told you to sit down. Need another reason to? Because I can turn this bus around."

"......."

Needless to say, he followed my instructions and I began driving again. I quickly gathered my scattered thoughts and came up with a good explanation.

"Ok. Y'all wanna know how the fuck I'm here, right?" I asked, and the kids nodded.

"Alright. I know I said I'm not from the camp, and that I'm not a counselor nor camper. That part is true. However, I guess, in a way, I'm kinda a resident of the campsite??? It's hard to explain..."

"Go on...?" Max urged. I huffed.

"Okay, so like, I live on the campsite. But not in the actual camp. You following?" I asked.

"So, you're basically saying that you live in the area that's considered Camp Campbell territory, but you don't actually use the camp, like the Cabins and Tents?" Neil guessed.

"YES! He's got it! Thank you for understanding!" I gasped, relieved at least one child could figure it out.

"Wait, you DON'T use the cabins or tents? Then that would mean... You live in the woods?" Max predicted, sitting on his knees in his seat and looking over the front.

"Yup." I confirmed.

"Awesome...." Nikki marveled, pink eyes sparkling.

"So, what's your name, anyways?" Max asked, folding his arms on top of the seat border.

"It's Y/N. And your names are Nikki, Neil, and Max, right?" I replied, swerving slightly to avoid a huge hole pothole in the road. How the hell are there potholes in dirt roads...?

"Yeah!!" Nikki chattered before pausing. "Wait, how do you know our names?"

"Yeah... That's kinda creepy." Neil added, rubbing his arm.

"Ok, ok. I was hanging around the camp because I was bored and that's when you two showed up." I explained, gesturing to Nikki and Neil. "I heard introductions and all that."

"Is that how you got onto the bus?" Max asked, arching a split eyebrow. Jesus, those eyebrows were terrible...

"Pretty much."

"Wow..."

"But anyways..." Max hesitated, "... Thanks. For getting us out of there..." I could see his cheeks grow red, causing Nikki to giggle.

"Your face looks like a tomato!"

"Oh shut it, you who-"

"OH JESUS FUUUUCK!" I suddenly screamed, and slammed the breaks. Apparently, I wasn't fast enough though. A black car with what seemed to be... agents? Inside had crashed into the bus. From the looks on their faces, they were still dizzy and dazed.

I quickly opened the bus doors.

"YOU THREE NEVER SAW ME!" I commanded, before running out the door and into the woods.


	2. Mascot bullshit + Max and F/N almost die because they broke into the pantry

Max's POV

It's been a few hours since then. After F/N ran into the woods, the cops came and took us back to camp. I'm still really fucking confused on why F/N had run away. I mean, yeah, sure, she was on the campsite without being a counselor or camper. That I could understand. But the main thing I wanted to know was WHY she was living in the middle of the fucking woods. She looked pretty young, I'd say only a few years older than me. Why was she there?

I was cut off from my thoughts when the bane of my existence began to talk.

"And here we have our time-honored camp mascot, Larry the hamster. Say hi, Larry!" David showed. I inwardly groaned. Oh yeah. We were continuing that shitty tour.

David leaned behind the hamster cage and spoke in an annoying squeaky voice.

"Hi there, Campers! I hope you're ready to have fun today! Don't forget to respect David and everything he does for you!" he impersonated, making me roll my eyes.

"Oh! He talked! Did you hear that?!" David gushed, taking the hamster out of the cage. I decided to walk over to my contraption.

"Are you a gypsy?" Nikki asked suspiciously, making me shake my head at her idiocy.

"Uhh..."

I coughed to get everyone's attention, and then dropped a marble into my masterfully built Rube Goldberg machine. I watched the chain reaction of events until my "Fuck the police" rock was successfully launched, and went soaring towards David's face. I grinned until...

The rock hit the fucking hamster instead of David.

FUCK.

We all watched as Larry went sailing through the air, until he finally landed far away, all the way to Spooky island.

"Aw man..." I looked up at David. "That was supposed to kill you."

I couldn't help but hear a quiet "pffft" nearby and I casually looked around, until I saw something... A flicker of H/C behind a tree. I rose an eyebrow, but shrugged it off as an animal or bird.

"Alrighty, kids! Today, we'll be on the hunt for a brand-new mascot!" David announced as we stood next to the lake. I gawked at him.

"Woah, woah, woah! Why you gotta put that shit on us? We don't work here!" I tried to reason, angrily glowering up at the redhead.

David leaned down to my level. "Well, Max, we were GOING to make hand-made ice cream, but someone killed our mascot, and now we need a new one becAUSE EVERY GOOD CAMP HAS A MASCOT, MAX!" David shouted, now in my face. After realizing he yelled, he quickly pulled away with a slightly apologetic(?) grin.

"Also, Gwen's feeling... Under the weather, and this is one the few activities I can do without her! ... Space kid, don't eat that! It's not space food!" David was quick to run over to Space kid and aid him in stopping his... activity.

"Under the weather?" Neil asked.

"Those are just rocks!" David yelled at Space kid in the background.

Nikki walked up to us. "Lady sickness. My mom used to get that all the time."

"How do you cure it?" Neil asked.

Nikki's face turned grim. "E d g e c l o s e r t o d e a t h ."

We all looked at her, disturbed, until her dark face suddenly changed to her usual bright and happy one.

"WOO! Mascot hunt! I'm going for one with a lot of teeth!" she cheered, running away.

"It should be cool." Ered commented.

"Yeah! Like a unicorn!" Nerris gushed.

"It should be fierce! And pure!" Dolf germaned.

"I need a break from David. Just one day... Just one" I spoke to myself, rubbing my temples. Suddenly, I heard Quartermaster grumbling. The only word I could make out was Jews. He was dragging a bloody bag across the ground, making me sweat slightly. 'That better not be F/N. She's too cool to be murdered...' I thought. Suddenly, I got an idea.

"Hey David!" I called out to the impossibly happy bitch.

He turned to me. "Yes, Max?" He was trying to unscrew Space kid's helmet.

"Why don't you have the Quartermaster take half of us?" I suggested, smirking, making QM look at me in shock.

"Huh?"

"I'll bet he would have a good outlook on the forest!" I reasoned, and David dropped Space kid.

"Why Max, what a wonderful idea! He's such a beloved member of our family. I would love for you all to get to know him better!" David beamed.

"I for one, would LOVE to learn from my elders." I smirked.

"You SERIOUSLY want to go into the woods with the bad guy from every horror movie EVER?!" Neil questioned, gesturing to the old blood covered man.

"Yeah, he's gonna turn you into a skin-suit." Nikki added.

"Calm down, it'll be fine. Besides, anything's better than hanging with DAVID."

David sniffed. "Sorry everyone, just... really overwhelmed by this friendship right now!" he gasped, fanning his actually teary face. What a dweeb. "Alright, who else would like to embark on a friendship walk? Who knows? Maybe some of our esteemed Quartermaster's wisdom will rub off on you?"

"Eeyup. Rub off on ya." he mumbled in response. I wonder what secrets are hiding in that mustache?

I raised my hand, but everyone beside me stepped back. I looked at Neil in shock and betrayal.

"Alright Max! Looks like you're gonna be our trailblazer!" he ruffled my hair. "I'm just so proud!"

I quickly flailed my arms, growling angrily.

"Everyone else is Team David!" he announced, standing up from me and my now ruined hair. "That means you too, Magic kid... magic kid." he was gesturing to Nerris and Harrison.

"Illusionist!" "Sorceress!" the two corrected.

I was now left alone with the Quartermaster.

We were now walking in the woods together. Around me, owls were hooting, bugs were... bugging? It was really fucking creepy.

"Look, man, we can just go back to the camp and relax. Gwen can be the mascot." I suggested confidently. Suddenly, QM stopped walking, causing me to bump into him with an "Oof!"

He turned to me. "You kids think you're so SMART." he jeered.

"What? That- uh, how does that relate to..." I was cut off by QM leaning into my face.

"You need to see BEYOND the camp. Into the true beauty of nature!" he testified, spreading out his arms and closing his eyes.

"Uh, this place looks like the place where teenagers go to get stabbed." I gulped, looking around. 

QM reached his hook hand into his pocket and pulled it out, hook replaced with a lit candle. How does that even work, anyways? Shouldn't his pants be on fire?

"Probably." was all he replied with, making me shudder. I stood up and continued on with QM.

.........

...............

.........................

................................................

Ok, this was getting too awkward for me. I sped up my walking pace so I was walking next to the old man.

"Hey, so how'd you lose that hand anyway?" I asked. What? I was genuinely curious.

Once again, I couldn't make out his reply except the word Jews. Good lord.

"I feel like you should be more specific."

QM stopped walking.

"We're here." he said in his usual old gravelly man voice, and turned towards me, replacing the old candle with the hook. Fuck.

I sighed and spread out my arms, closing my eyes. "Well, I guess Nikki was right. Enjoy wearing my skin!"

I tensed up as I heard the sound of the blade swinging, thinking this was my end... but the blow never came. Instead, the sound of leaves being cut down filled my ears, and I cracked open an eye.

What I saw was beautiful.

There was a golden glow about, illuminating the pretty wooden tree-throne, which was surrounded by rose bushes. In front of the throne sat a circle of cute, red mushrooms. Behind the throne layed trees and berry bushes. In the sky, a rainbow could be seen. Squirrels, bunnies, raccoons, and birds scattered about, and I noticed a single silhouette on the throne.

Eyes wide, I let a hand cover part of my mouth at the ultimate beauty of it all.

"It's... beautiful..." I gasped.

Quartermaster walked up to the throne and kneeled, holding out a hand. An adorable squirrel with a king's cape and crown crawled and stood up onto his hand. QM began to lift the squirrel in his good hand. It was so... magical.

UNTIL THE QUARTERMASTER FUCKING STABBED THE SQUIRREL KING THROUGH THE HEART WITH HIS GODDAMN HOOK HAND. He turned to me blood on his clothes and face.

"Mascot." he grumbled to me proudly, the dead squirrel still hanging off of his hook.

"DUDE! YOU FUCKING KILLED IT!" I screamed in horror.

He looked at the squirrel.

"Oh."

SERIOUSLY?!?

Then, QM grabbed the crown off the squirrel king's head, and placed it on his own hat.

Suddenly, the wildlife around began attacking him.

"I AM YOUR KING NOW! THE THRONE IS MINE!" he screamed, swatting all the animals away.

Next to the body of a dead bunny, a squirrel with an eyepatch began chirping menacingly before disappearing into the forest.

I sighed boredly as we walked out of the woods, QM sitting on the throne which was being carried by animals. Some of them were even playing tiny horns and stuff. The Quartermaster still had the dead squirrel on his hand, blood dripping everywhere. Everyone was staring at us. The animals stopped the throne next to the docks and QM stood up. Gwen, who, for some reason was holding a platypus dropped said animal.

"I need more Midol." she whispered before walking away.

"Alright! Well, seeing as I just accidentally stepped on the caterpillar, and a tin can would be ridiculous, I guess the platypus is our new mascot!" David announced, scraping dead caterpillar onto the wood of the dock he was standing on with the others.

"Muack." the platypus muacked.

Neil and Nikki walked up to me.

"So, what'd you do?" Nikki asked casually.

I scratched the back of my head. "I dunno, man. I think he tried to teach me a lesson?"

"What? About nature?" Neil puzzled.

"I guess?" I shrugged.

"Look! In the water!" Dolf germaned, and everyone looked to where he was pointing.

There, crawling onto shore, was Larry the hamster.

"Well how about that! Larry's back! Alright, original mascot!" David cheered.

Larry sat up panting...

Only to be eaten by the platypus. David sighed.

"Fine, whatever, it's the platypus."

"Does this mean we'll be the Camp Campbell Platties?" Nikki asked, ecstatic.

"No, I don't think so." David replied.

"What about the Pussies?" Neil suggested, not realizing the name's meaning.

"DEFINITELY not."

"Yeah, I like that!" Nerris approved.

"Pussies for life." Ered added, crossing her arms casually.

"YEAH!" everyone cheered.

"You guys, no!" David tried to interject, only for his cries to be shot down by the rest of the children chanting.

"PUSSIES! PUSSIES! PUSSIES! PUSSIES!"

"I'll make the flag!" Dolf offered.

I walked up to David, who was staring at the campers upset.

"So what's with the Quartermaster and Jews?"

"Muack." Stupid platypus

Later that night, I couldn't sleep. At all. Lying awake in my sleeping bag, I sighed.

"This sucks." I mumbled to nobody in particular. In the sleeping bag beside me, Neil was sleeping soundly, soft snores emitting from his mouth. I stared at the ceiling for a few moments, before deciding to get up. I checked the shitty clock that was hanging in the front of the tent; It was 2:38am. I grumbled, before putting my sweatshirt and some shoes on. Quietly, I snuck out of the tent, being sure to take a flashlight with.

I was just wandering around the camp when I suddenly heard rustling coming from the forest. I whipped my head around towards the noise and turned on my flashlight, the beam of light revealing a pair of glittering E/C eyes hiding behind some shrubbery. I tensed up; they were staring right into mine.

Suddenly, the figure began to move out from behind the bushes. I quickly grabbed the nearest thing by me to protect myself; a fallen stick, and held it like a sword in front of me. The figure froze, before the creature...

Laughed???

"Pft, Max, you dumbass, it's me." they said. They sounded familiar... Suddenly, I realized who it was, and dropped the stick. I grinned.

"F/N! You're alive!" I whisper yelled, jogging over to her now exposed form. She had a few more scratches on her face than I remember, but she still grinned at me with pride.

"Damn right I am!" she replied, putting a hand on her hip. I looked her up and down.

She was wearing brown skin boots, which I assumed was deerskin. Tight, dark brown pants covered her legs, with a few tears here and there. She was still wearing the same dank green Camp Campbell shirt she was wearing earlier today, which was hidden underneath an old, leaf-green, fleece-lined hoodie. Leaves and small twigs were jutting out her H/C head, hair tangled. Her S/T skin was covered in dirt and in certain areas, a little bit of dried blood.

She looked so confident for someone in such a poor state of being.

"By the way, what're you doing here? I thought you lived in the woods?" I asked the girl. We were now just wandering around the camp grounds together, occasionally kicking small pebbles around.

"I do live in the woods, but sometimes I'm unable to catch food myself, so I have to get it in other ways. Other ways being stealing from the camps." F/N explained, looking up at the night sky.

To put it lightly, I was shocked.

"Wait wait wait. You STEAL food from the camps? As in breaking into the kitchens and pantries, putting food into a bag or something, and running off?" I gasped. She nodded.

"But, how?!? The Wood Scouts are a bunch of guarded military dicks, the Flower Scouts have actual security guards, and we have the Quartermaster who seems to know when anything happens at any time!"

"They're not that hard to get around, you know. Especially when I've had years to practice sneaking and shit." she explained, sitting down on a log next to the fire pit. I had just noticed where we had wandered. Cool, I guess?

"Wait, what do you mean you've had YEARS to practice? How long have you been out here?" I interrogated, staring into the girl's now dark E/C eyes. She hummed as she thought of an answer, eyebrows furrowing.

"I... don't really remember?" F/N answered, crossing her arms and staring at the unlit sticks that were set up in a teepee formation in the fire pit. I stared at her even longer. "How old are you now?" I suddenly blurted without thinking. F/N blinked at me a few times before staring even more intensely at the fire pit. She had gone completely silent and rigid, making me worried. Did I upset her? Was she offended?

....Did she even know the answer?

I was left to wonder what her answer was as she changed the subject.

"So Max, what camp category are you in?" F/N asked, turning her head towards me. I froze. Man, this keeps getting awkward, uncomfortable, and depressing.

"I'm not in one. After all, camp is just where parents send their kids when they don't wanna deal with them." I barked harshly in response. I noticed she was staring at me, analyzing.

"...I'm sorry about that."

Wait, what?

I whipped my head around to face her directly.

"Whaddya mean you're sorry?"

"I mean about your parents. I'm sorry about them." she answered, looking to the dirt ground.

I stared at her some more, mouth agape. She took that seriously?

"Psh, it was a joke, dumbass. Don't be so sappy." I sneered, surprised at how loudly I spoke. I hope I didn't just get us caught.

"Oh..." she mumbled in response, furrowing her eyebrows. But suddenly, she stood up, and the negative demeanor was instantly washed away.

"But anyways, what're you doing up this late anyways?"

"Oh, uh, I couldn't sleep." I responded, standing up with her as we began to wander once again. It wasn't a lie, like the whole parent joke thing was, but it wasn't exactly completely true either.

"Thinking too much?" She asked. I just noticed how raspy her voice was. It was like she hadn't used it in years. But with that thought aside, I nodded. She was good at this whole "guess what's bothering the 10 year old" game.

"That's too bad." she muttered, furrowing her eyebrows, "You seem too young to have insomnia."

I noticed we were walking towards the Mess Hall.

"I guess, but why are we going to the Mess Hall?" I asked. F/N suddenly took out a small knife from her sweatshirt pocket. I immediately stepped away from her.

"What the fuck?"

"Shush. I told you earlier. I need to eat and I couldn't find anything today, so this is my next option." she explained.

"So why do you need the knife?" I interrogated, as she stopped in front of the door.

She suddenly crouched down and stuck the blade into the lock, before twisting. Immediately afterwards, a click was heard and she put the knife back in her pocket. I couldn't help but notice the blade of the knife seemed to morph to her needs, but it was probably just a trick of the light.

"Oh."

"Yup. The counselors are getting smarter. They've started locking the doors." she mumbled, before slowly opening the door and peeking inside. I couldn't help but join her. Inside was pitch black, the little moonlight from the windows casting ominous shadows on the picnic tables.

"Perfect." F/N mused, before opening the door all the way and stepping inside. I followed her and closed the door. Suddenly, the girl turned to me.

"You are not to tell anyone about this. Not even your friends. I can't risk being found out, got it?" she warned, her E/C gaze hardening. She genuinely looked threatening. I gulped and nodded, and her dangerous aura immediately dissipated.

"Sweet." was all the girl replied with, before casually strolling into the kitchen, me right at her heels. The girl opened the door to the pantry and stepped inside, before turning on the light. It was obvious she's done this a thousand times before. I watched as she took off her backpack and opened it, before stuffing various smoked meats, wrapped cheeses, fruits, vegetables, bread, and juices into it. It was definitely enough food to keep her for at least a few days (depending on how much she ate), but it wasn't enough to a point where her thievery would be too visible or obvious.

"Alrighty, it was fun hanging with you Max, but it's nigh time I scram." F/N sighed, zipping up her bag. I couldn't help but notice how worn it looked. She began walking towards the exit of the pantry when suddenly, the doors to the Mess Hall opened.

In a blur, F/N had silently closed the door to the pantry and shut off the light, and had even brought down the ladder to the attic. She took out a flashlight from her pocket and turned it on, shining it up into the rafters.

"Let's bounce." she whispered to me before I was flung over her shoulder and carried up into the attic as she climbed. She was silent with every step. Once we were up, she wordlessly set me down and somehow managed to lift up the attic latter without it creaking. Finally, she closed the trapdoor and we were left in silence.

Suddenly, I heard it; the footfalls of someone walking to the pantry. F/N looked at me with an unreadable expression, before going totally still. From the corner of my eye, I could see she had her knife drawn, the blade glinting in the dim light from the window. The only things I could hear was my heartbeat and breathing, as well as the thumping from below. We sat and waited.

We heard the creak of the pantry door opening.

F/N was holding her breath, and so was I now.

Shuffling was heard right below us, before the familiar clicking of the light being turned on. I winced as light from the room below us squeezed their way through cracks in the floorboards and met my eyes. F/N was unfazed, peeking through the boards and taking advantage of the light. I decided to do the same, and almost gasped when I saw Quartermaster looking around the room, his hook hand glinting dangerously.

All was silent.

Until the Quartermaster mumbled something.

Normally I wouldn't be able to hear anything from him due to his mustache, but his words were clear as day in this silence.

"So the Ghost Thief strikes again."

We were left in a silent terror again before the Quartermaster finally turned off the light and walked out the pantry, before shutting the door. F/N waited for his footsteps to disappear before moving again.

"That..." she whispered as she opened the trapdoor to the pantry, "Was a close one."

"Fuck yeah it was."

As we climbed back into the pantry, I heard F/N chuckle to herself.

"What's so funny?" I asked, placing my foot onto another rung of the attic ladder. F/N somehow slid the rest of the way down, action movie style.

"Oh, nothing really. I just can't believe I have a reputation here apparently." she explained, putting the ladder back into the attic after I was off. She pulled the rope that shut the trapdoor, and the attic was sealed away.

"Yeah. "Ghost Thief." Sounds pretty badass if you ask me." I commented, a sly smirk appearing on my face. Not that F/N could see it though. It was pitch black in the pantry. I heard F/N giggle, before she opened the pantry door and we stepped out.

"Yeah, same here. I kinda like it, actually." she mused. Suddenly, she struck a defensive pose.

"Just imagine it: F/N L/N, Ghost Thief of Camp Campbell! It has a nice ring to it. Hehe."

I chuckled. For a badass bitch who lives in the middle of the woods, she's got quite the personality.

"Yeah, it does."


	3. The kiddos fail at having a revolution lmao

F/N's POV, 1 week later

I sighed as my stomach grumbled. I had eaten all of the food I had stolen from Camp Campbell the other night with Max, and now I was starving. I would go steal more, but it seemed that someone set up traps randomly in the middle of the woods. I shuddered at the memory as I rubbed my scraped up leg.

Basically, someone set up a rope trap and I stepped right into it. The rope tied around my ankle noose-style and rubbed my ankle raw before I could cut the rope off. It sucked.

I looked at my battered up ankle. It was becoming swollen. I would've wrapped it, but I recently ran out of bandages after tending to a wounded dog I had stumbled upon earlier. I winced as I tried to stand on it, but I crumpled to the floor, moaning in pain.

It was fucking sprained.

Dammit.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself onto my knees and put on my now empty bag. I had my knife inside my sweatshirt pocket. I felt a little dizzy, but I managed to stand up, putting most of my weight on my good foot. I limped out of my tree and looked up at the sky; it was about 9:46pm. The kids and counselors would be (hopefully) going to bed at this time. I bit my lip to hide my grunts as I slowly but surely made my way to the camp.

It really did take a while. I was already feeling dizzy from slight blood loss from my leg after being cut by a thorn bush, and my starvation wasn't helping any. I made sure to drink a lot of water earlier, so I should be okay with that for the next few hours.

Or at least I was supposed to be.

As I neared the camp, I heard some kids nearby (in the woods might I add) chanting.

"OOGA CHAKA OOGA CHAKA OOGA CHAKA" they chanted. One of the kids sounded familiar. Was that...

Neil?

At least he knew I existed, so I walked towards the sound of the chanting. It was hard to concentrate on where I was going, but I manage to spot their campfire.

Suddenly, I heard Max's voice.

"Fellow Freeman. There comes a time when a group must fight back against tyranny. Like the minutemen of the Revolution, we will fight for our independence!"

I was about to call out to Neil when I suddenly heard a crack, followed by a splitting pain in my already injured leg. The next thing I knew, I was hanging upside down, 4 feet above the ground. I screamed in agony and reached for my knife, only to find it on the forest ground, the sacred blade seeming to be laughing at me. I teared up even more, and my breathing became uneven. I started to sob. The pain was too much. I could feel the blood running down (up?) my leg, staining the top of my boots and my pant legs red. Oh God. Was this the end? If I didn't get out of this, I would die of either blood loss or having too much blood in my head, or be found by one of the employees and either be killed or sent away. I didn't want any of it.

Eventually, I couldn't bare the pain anymore and shut my eyes, preparing for either sleep or death. Either one was okay with me.

"WOAH, WHAT THE FUCK?!?"

My eyes shot open, revealing Neil and Max, who were both... shirtless? And that kid who's always wearing that shitty space suit. The space kid had drawn abs on his chestplate, Neil was holding his torso in embarrassment, and Max had put war paint (probably acrylic paint from the art camp) around his eyes, and in a fancy design around his shoulders and beneath his chest.

To put it lightly, they looked fucking ridiculous and I would've laughed if not for the crippling fear of death.

"Oh, hey guys. What are y'all doing here? I'm just... hanging around... hehe..." I choked out. I honestly had no idea why I was making shitty puns. Maybe to lighten the mood?

"F-F/N!? You're here??? How come?" Neil asked, obviously panicked.

"I said I was-"

"F/N, you're literally bleeding everywhere. Be serious." Max cut me off, grabbing my knife from the floor. He handed it to Neil.

"Hey Genius, we need a way to get her down."

"Oh! I can climb the tree!" Space Kid offered, jumping up and down.

"Go for it, Space Case." Max said, taking the knife from Neil and handing it to him.

"So anyways, why are you here? And how the hell did this happen?" Neil asked, uncrossing his arms.

"Needed food... injured leg..." I gasped out. It was getting harder and harder to speak.

"Oh gosh, the blood is rushing to her head. Space Kid, hurry!" Neil commanded. I heard an ecstatic "Got it!" from above me, followed by the sound of rope being cut.

Suddenly, my head was slammed into the dirt, followed by the rest of my body.

"FUCK!"

I was then crushed by Space Kid, knocking the wind out of me. I wheezed in pain.

"Oh shit, are you okay?" I heard Max ask.

"I'm okayyy!" Space Kid replied, his words muffled by his space helmet. He was torn off my back, probably by Neil

"He wasn't talking to you."

I was too tired to respond, and just layed there, trying to catch my breath. I felt dizzy, and all the blood rushing from my head was making me feel nauseous.

"Oh fuck, you killed her!" Max shouted at Space Kid.

"She's not dead. Probably dizzy from having a blood rush." Neil explained, "Hey F/N, give us a sign you're conscious?"

I weakly gave the trio a thumbs up.

"She'll be fine. We should probably get her to camp though. Her ankle looks bad." Neil continued, but Max butted in.

"Woah woah woah! Have you FORGOTTEN about our revolution? We can't get back into camp! Not with X-treme Sports Barbie leading that shithole!"

I regained enough strength to roll onto my back, which was now sore from a glass sphere slamming into it.

"Wait, what?" I managed to breathe out, "What are you talking about?"

I opened my eyes and could see everything, though it was a little blurry. It was dark out, the only light coming from the makeshift torch Max was holding.

Neil was staring at me in worry.

"Your nose is bleeding..."

Dammit.

"I'll be okay. I have bigger things to worry about. Now let's hear about that revolution."

"Basically, we revolted against the counselors making us scrub floors, that Ered bitch got voted as leader even though I'M the one who fucking led the revolt, and now we're outcasted, so we're gonna attack tonight." Max fumed.

I..... still had no idea what was going on, but I nodded, pretending to understand.

"Sounds fun. How are you guys gonna attack...?"

Neil pulled out two bombs from his red pants.

"I was saving these to put in David's underpants..."

"Perfect." Max grinned.

Space Kid pulled out two pinecones.

"I was saving th-"

"Shut up. Here's how it'll work." Max announced, grinning, "Space Kid is the most expendable, so he'll be our decoy."

"What about me?" I asked, rubbing my leg. I could feel it throbbing, the blood clotted and caked around the injuries on my ankle. Max hummed in thought.

"Oh! You can help me set the trap!" Max offered, "I won't make YOU do much, because your leg is literally cut up and probably sprained or something, so you can just layer the sticks and leaves."

"So like, a pitfall trap?" I guessed. Max nodded, a smirk appearing on his tan face.

"Hell yeah."

"Wait, what am I gonna do?" Neil asked, who was back to rubbing his arms, cold.

"You're gonna help me dig the pit."

Oh dear...

Around 2 hours later, I looked up at the sky; it was about 5:36am. I sighed, exhausted. I had been working all night, crawling around the woods with Space Kid to gather leaves and sticks (Neil wouldn't let me walk, saying I'd just hurt myself even more), and layer them over the surprisingly deep pit Max and Neil had dug.

By hand.

They'd definitely need band aids later.

I cringed at the thought of their cut up hands, probably being infected by all the dirt lying around. My leg was in the same condition, but I've dealt with infections before. I would be fine.

"Okay, I think we're ready. Space Kid, you're up." Max commanded, trying to lift me up by the armpits.

"Um, what are you doing?" I asked as Max tugged, trying to move me. He grunted.

"I'm gonna take you to my tent. You can't be found by anyone here, right? My tent should be the safest place." he explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I hummed in thought.

"I guess that makes sense? But I can walk myself, you know." I offered, shrugging out of his flimsy grip and standing on my knees. I grabbed Max's shoulder and stood up, balancing on my good foot.

"Woah woah woah! What about me? I share a tent with Max! There's not enough room!" Neil complained. I looked at Max for a response.

"She'll sleep in your bed and you'll sleep on the floor. Simple." he said.

"Wait, what?!? But that's not fair! You're the one offering her to sleep in OUR tent, so you should sleep on the floor!" Neil reasoned.

I looked back and forth as the two argued, and I motioned for Space Kid to come over.

"What is it?"

"Just take me to their tent. I'll figure something out." I whispered, and he nodded in agreement. I took my hand off Max's shoulder and put on on Space Kid's, and he helped me walk to the tent area. As we approached Max and Neil's tent, I spoke.

"Space Kid, you can't tell ANYONE about me. Don't mention me, don't tell others I exist, don't even let others KNOW I exist. I'm a secret that you need to keep. Got it?" I ordered, tightening my grip on the kid's shoulder. He stared at me in shock, before slowly nodding.

"Okay..."

I relaxed my grip.

"Thank you."

After that, I was left alone in the tent.

BOOOOOM!!!

And there goes Space Kid.

"I did this! Come after me!" the boy shouted at who I assumed were the other campers. I snickered, and peeked outside the tent. I watched as the campers followed after Space Kid and fell right into the pitfall trap. Wow. Were they really that gullible...?

Nikki and who I assumed was the one Max called "X-treme Sports Barbie" were the only ones to not fall.

"Aaah! I've been Prestiged!" I heard a camper yell from inside the pit.

"Woah, awesome..." Nikki breathed, until the Cool Gal nudged her angrily. "I mean, You fiend!"

"You're the fiend!" Max shouted at the blue haired girl angrily, holding a spear made from a stick I found and my knife. He better give that back, or I was gonna kick his ass.

"What do YOU losers want?" Cool Gal asked, arms crossed.

"JUSTiCE!" Neil shouted. He was still holding himself from both embarrassment and the temperature.

"You guys are here to rescue me?!" I heard David yell from nearby. Probably the flagpole or a tree or something.

"NO. Shut up, David." Max growled, still glaring at Nikki and CG (Cool Gal).

"Awww......"

"Psh, I'd like to see you TRY and fight us." CG taunted.

"Gladly." I could practically feel Max's cocky grin from the tent as he skillfully swung the spear around. (I taught him how lmao) However, my knife, which was crudely tied onto the end of the stick flew off and landed somewhere in the woods.

BITCH.

THAT WAS MY KNIFE!

I was slightly panicking now. That knife was VERY important to me. If it gets into the wrong hands...

Well, there'd be some fucked up shit happening to put it simply.

"Nikki... Attack." CG ordered, and Nikki immediately got on the ground in an offensive dog position, growling.

"BARK BARK BARK!" she yelled. I sighed. This wasn't going as planned. I just wanted some fucking bandages and food...

I watched as the two kids circled each other, the sun beginning to rise. I inwardly groaned. This wasn't the first time I'd stayed up all night like this, but I preferred to go to bed at midnight at the latest...

"No fighting! Violence never solves anything!" David yelled. I could see he was tied upside down to the flagpole.

"STAB HER, BITCH!" Gwen shouted, her face burrowed into an ipad playing what I assumed was Trash TV.

Suddenly, Nikki lunged at Max, who held up the stick with both hands and pushed her away. She lunged again and bit the stick, growling as she gnawed at the wood.

"Nikki, give it up! She doesn't care about you! She just uses people!" Max scolded the girl, trying to loosen her grip from the stick.

"Don't listen to him, Nikki!" CG yelled from the background. Nikki grabbed onto the stick and released it from her bite.

"Don't worry, Ered!" She yelled, shoving Max down before looking back up. "I know it's not true!"

"Uh, no, of course it's true, just don't listen to him!" CG (who was apparently named Ered) commanded, "I need you on MY side."

"I'll save you, Nikki!" a brunette camper shouted as he climbed up part way from the pit. He held his arm out.

"FIRE!"

A stream of hot fire flew from his hand, missing Max completely, and instead ignited the ropes that bound David and Gwen to the flagpole.

Oh dear.

"OH GOD! SOMEONE STOP DROP AND ROLL ME!" David screamed in fear.

"Oopsie..." the magic boy grunted in shame.

"You suck, Harrison!" A girl from the pit yelled angrily. So Harrison was the name of the magic kid... Good to know.

Suddenly, Max kicked Nikki in the face, knocking her back and causing her sunglasses to fly off her head and shatter on the floor.

"This is decidedly uncool." Ered lamented, as Nikki mourned her loss, kneeling next to the glasses sadly.

"I AGREE! SOMEONE PUT ME OUT!" David screamed in terror and probably pain.

A car horn was heard in the distance, and suddenly, a large yellow truck slammed into the flagpole, bending it and putting out the fire. David screamed. I snorted.

The car door opened, revealing none other than...

Shrek.

Just kidding.

Cameron Campbell, richest outdoorsmen alive.

"Did somebody say... Cameron Campbell?" he asked, arrogantly yet casually posing.

"Umm, no...?" Gwen answered, the ipad no longer attached to her face.

"Mr. Campbell?! You saved me!" David cheered, kicking his legs as much as he could from under the rope.

"...YES! I definitely saw you and was fully aware hitting you with my car would be the best course of action!" Campbell announced, before glancing away nervously for a second.

What a lying, rich, piece of shit.

And David?

How the hell was he so....

Idiotic?

"Please, excuse the condition of the camp, Sir! Things got a little out of hand, but we can fix it! I swear!" David explained nervously. Campbell laughed.

"Hahaha, the old "taking over the camp from the counselors and tying them to the flagpole" routine!" he sighed. "I remember my first time."

After that, he walked into the Mess Hall through the hole that was blown through the wall and came out with a huge wad of cash. I felt my stomach lurch in distaste.

Rich piece of shit.

"Hey Cam!" Max yelled, as he flipped through his money. "Can't you see this guy is a terrible counselor and needs to be dealt with?!"

Wait....

What?

"Eh? Oh, sorry kids, I've got other things to deal with. Campbell's got a poker game to get to! I'm not gonna give too many details, but let's just say if I win, I could end up being the Prime Minister of Thailand!" Campbell explained.

"But our revolution!" Neil interjected.

"This is serious! We're leading a charge to make a difference! We are the 99%! I saw it on TV!" Max complained, waving his stick around. I couldn't help but notice the tooth marks Nikki left. Damn. Better not get on her bad side...

"Oh, you kids and your dreams!" Campbell laughed, ruffling Max's hair. He slapped the boys back. "So full of hope and ignorance! Someday, you'll learn that no matter how righteous you think your cause is, there's always someone bigger to keep you down!" I frowned at the man's words. Dumb prick. Stupid ass bitch. Ignorant fucking cunt.

"And that day is today and that someone is me." Campbell finished.

"Say what now?" Max gaped.

Later that night, Max and Neil had washed off the warpaint and glumly walked into the tent. I was sitting on top of the log that held something... I didn't know what it was yet.

Max looked at me shocked for a second, before he remembered our deal and why I was here.

"Oh, hey F/N." he sighed as he took off his hoodie. Neil was zipping up the tent.

"I'm sorry your "revolution" didn't work. That Campbell dude is an asshole. Trust me on that." I muttered, holding my chin in my hand.

"Yeah, I can tell." Neil lamented, lying on his bed. "Have you figured out where to sleep?" I nodded in reply.

"I could probably sleep under one of your beds. They're surprisingly elevated. I can even roll over. All I need is a blanket and I'm good to go." I explained, hopping off the log. I winced as pressure was put on my injured leg.

"Oh fuck, that's right. We need to get some medical supplies for you, don't we..." Max hummed worriedly. He hung up his hoodie on the log I was previously sitting on.

"Hey Max, I was wondering if you'd let me tip that log over and roll it next to the bed I'm going to sleep under?" I asked, plopping on the floor. The boy turned to me in confusion.

"What? Why?" he asked, furrowing his brows. God, I still hated the shape of them...

"It'll make it harder for me to be seen if a counselor or another camper decides to pay a visit." I explained simply, shrugging my shoulders. Max glanced at Neil for a second. He shrugged.

"Why not? Makes sense to me..." the brunette answered, kicking his legs. Max sighed.

"Fine. But only if you sleep under NEIL'S bed. I don't wanna be tripping over wood first thing in the morning."

"Oh, but I can?"

"You have longer legs, genius."

"Oh fuck you."

"Y'know, I could just go back into the woods... It's not a huge problem..." I tried to reason, but they immediately turned their heads to me.

"Hell no." the boys said in unison.

I sighed in defeat.

"Could one of you just get me a blanket?" I requested, lying down next to Neil's bed. He lifted his legs, allowing me to roll under the small space beneath him. Neil stood up.

"I'll go get a blanket and pillow for you. I'll be back." Neil said, exiting the tent. My eyes widened in excitement. I was getting a pillow too? I didn't realize I was grinning like an idiot until Max pointed it out.

"Hey F/N, what's with the sudden Cheshire grin? You're creeping me out." he bluntly stated, lying on his stomach on his bed.

"Eh? Oh, nothing much. Don't worry about it." I told him, tapping my foot anxiously. I really wanted to get some sleep. This was around the time I should be waking up, not falling asleep. I rolled onto my side, my shoulder slightly brushing the bottom of Neil's bed for a second. I hoped when he lays down to sleep, he doesn't end up crushing me.

I looked up as I heard a sudden clunking sound. It was Max. He was trying to gently tip over the log, but failed. He jumped out of the way as the log fell with a loud thud. I cringed.

"Way to be quiet, Max. 10 out of 10 performance. Great job." I sarcastically commented, earning an annoyed "shut the fuck up." from Max. I snickered. After that, Max rolled the log next to Neil's bed, successfully "sealing" me inside. My feet were still uncovered, but it was better than nothing.

"Thank you..." I yawned, feeling the exhaustion from earlier hit me.

"You're welcome." I heard Max grumble from across the tent, making me smile.

What a friendly, sarcastic, asshole.

I tensed up as I heard the tent door open, and unconsciously curled up. I felt cloth touching my feet, and grabbed it. It was the pillow. I almost teared up at the sight of it; it's been so long since I've slept with a pillow. After putting it under my head, I grabbed the thick blanket Neil had placed at the entrance of my 'room' as I decided to call it.

"Thanks, Nerd." I jokingly thanked, and Neil snorted.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll try to convince Gwen to give me some bandages and rubbing alcohol tomorrow so you we can fix you up." I heard him say above me as he layed down. I noticed I could just barely see him through the thick weaves of the mattress. He was peering at me through the tiny holes. I peered back.

"Neil stop staring at her and let her fucking sleep. God." Max grumbled and I giggled.

"Night." I said, making sure I had my bag next to me.

"Night." Neil and Max answered in unison.

And for the rest of that night (day?), we slept.


	4. Enroll for snacks

I woke up STARVING. Outside, David was shouting.

"Goooood afternoon, campers! Rise and shine! We only have 9 hours till bedtime, so we need to start right away!" the man announced. I groaned in annoyance. Above me, Neil was grumbling angrily to himself and Max was moaning out swear words. I flinched as the door to our tent suddenly unzipped, and I quickly hid myself with my blanket and shoved myself as far back under the bed as possible.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey, Max! Neil!" David greeted. Max groaned.

"The fuck do you want?"

"Maaax, watch your language! And for the record, it's brunch time! You both need to get ready for the day and eat so we can enjoy the fun camp activities we have planned today!" David explained.

"Ugh, fine. Whatever. Just get out so we can get ready in peace." Max grumbled to the overly positive man.

"Okay!"

And as quick as he came in, he was gone. I sighed in relief. Suddenly, I realized something.

"Hey... will you guys be able to sneak me some food? I'm starving. I haven't eaten in like, 3 days..." I requested, and leaned on my bag. "At least after I finish the stuff off in here..."

"Wait, WHAT?" Neil gasped, shocked. "How are you alive?!" He was now peeking under the bed from the far end. I shrugged at him.

"I don't know, but the reason I came here in the first place was to smuggle some actual food and ended up getting injured again, because someone set up a bunch of booby-traps in the woods."

"I bet it was Quartermaster who set those up." Max suddenly added in. Neil looked at him confusion as he changed his shirt. I had stuffed my face into my pillow so I didn't have to see, but listened intently to the black-haired boy.

"Why do you think that?" Neil asked. Suddenly, Max lowered his voice.

"To tell you the truth, this isn't the only time I've seen F/N besides when we all first met her." he whispered, not loud enough for someone outside the tent to hear, but loud enough for me to hear even under the bed.

"Wait, what? It isn't?" Neil gasped quietly, obviously flabbergasted. He peeked at me under the bed.

"What were you guys doing?" the curly haired boy asked.

"Y'know, the usual. Stealing food, having to hide in an attic for like 10 minutes from the Quartermaster, figuring out I'm known as "The Camp Campbell Ghost Thief..." I replied, holding my stomach. It was hurting from not eating anything for so long. I decided to pull out a small and definitely unhealthy bag of chocolate covered peanuts.

"Yeah, because that's totally normal and happens to everyone every day." Neil grumbled. Max scoffed.

"Try having to cower in fear in a dusty shit cell from the Quartermaster, who's probably killed children and ate their insides for breakfast." he ranted, crossing his arms.

"Ohhh Maaaax!" David called from outside. I cursed under my breath and shoved myself to the back of Neil's bed again.

"WE'RE COMING! DON'T GET YOUR MICRODICK IN A TWIST!" Max angrily yelled at the man outside. He suddenly crouched down by Neil's bed and looked at me. He began whispering.

"I'll try to get Neil, Space Kid, and I some free time so we can make sure you're fine. I guess you should just... Stay here? Uh, not that you can really go anywhere, but..."

"MAX!"

"I'M COMING! FUCK YOU!"

"Max, go. I'll be fine on my own. As long as I have campfire access or something without getting caught, I should be okay." I said to the small boy, and he nodded before standing up and leaving the tent with Neil, leaving me alone.

The entire time I was stuck under Neil's bed, I either slept (God knows I needed it), snacked on some fruit I smuggled, or drew pictures in the dust that laid around me. Man, this kid needed to clean. Not that I could blame him, though. He obviously didn't wanna be here.

Currently, I was sitting on Max's bed and peeking through a small hole I had found in the tent wall. I was observing a squirrel with an eyepatch over it's left eye watch the campers. It seemed mad. I was suddenly very aware of the peanuts that were in my bag. I knew I accidentally took too much. Maybe I could...?

I was suddenly very aware of the void in my hoodie pocket.

Oh fuck.

The knife.

Immediately, I peeked out of the tent. There was nobody in sight. After deeming the area free of people, I snuck into the woods. Although my leg was screaming in protest, my sheer determination to find the knife was enough to keep me going. I walked around the area that Max dropped it in for around 5 minutes before I saw it glint. I cringed seeing as it was jammed perfectly into a tree...

And that the knife had split it in half.

I sighed, disappointed in myself. I knew the consequences of letting someone take the knife.

It could kill someone with just the prick of a finger.

I sadly stared at the tree. All it's life had been drained. There were no more leaves, leaving behind the dead, grey bark. The knife seemed to gleam, proud it was able to absorb the life force of another living thing. I scoffed, and shoved it into my hoodie pocket. Once I was sure it was secure, I snuck back into the tent, and laid down. This was getting too much for me.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard 4 pairs of feet approaching the tent. I immediately dived under Neil's bed, hissing in pain. I seemed to keep forgetting my ankle was swollen. I heard the tent unzip and I curled up as small as I could.

"Pssst, F/N. It's Neil and Max." Neil called out to me. I peeked out from under the bed, revealing Neil (of course), Max, Nikki, and Space Kid. I grinned, and crawled out from under the small space while the others entered and zipped up the tent.

"So what brings y'all to my humble abode?" I teased, sitting on Neil's bed and casually leaning against the wall, crossing my legs and placing my hands behind my head. Max scoffed.

"We stole some medicine shit you you, my Queen." he replied sarcastically, taking some medical supplies out of a first aid kit I didn't realize he was carrying. "Wait, I thought her name was F/N?" Nikki asked, tilting her head in confusion towards me. I snickered and Neil facepalmed.

"It is, dumbass." Max informed the teal-haired girl, seemingly annoyed.

"I knew it." Nikki praised herself. Max rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, since it sounds like you know how to take care of yourself, we're just gonna leave these here. Sound good?" Max asked, placing the first aid kit down next to me. I nodded.

"Yeah, sure thing."

"Aww, but I wanted to hang out with her! Maybe see how many sticks we can fit in our pants!" Nikki complained again, jumping on the bed next to me and hugging my side. I snorted. This kid was funny.

"Ugh, fine." Max groaned, "But she can NOT be found out!"

"Wait, why can't she be found out? Can't we just introduce her to the counselors and have her openly hang out with us?" Space Kid suggested, fiddling with his gloves. He still had paint from the drawn on abs from last night stuck on his suit.

"BECAUSE, idiot, if she's found she'll-" Neil paused. "Wait, why are you hiding anyways?" The rest of the group looked at me for an answer.

"Well, it's because if any of the counselors find me, they'll... probably send me to an orphanage or some fucked up homeless shelter, or-"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I HIGHLY doubt David or Gwen would do that." Max interjected.

"But what about the Quartermaster? He'd probably murder me in my sleep! Lord knows what he's done to previous children who came here..." I reasoned, cursing myself for stuttering in my previous sentence. Why was I stuttering anyways?

"I mean... Probably. The dude's creepy as hell." Max replied.

"WAIT! I GOT IT!" Nikki announced, jumping off the bed, and knocking off the medical supplies.

"You got what? How to make me not die if the counselors find out about me?" I sarcastically suggested, waving my hand around.

"Nooo, I mean how to get you enrolled in camp! If you're enrolled, they can't do anything to you! Well, not legally anyways..." Nikki said, and everyone went quiet. Nikki looked up from her thoughts to find everyone staring at her.

"What?"

"Nikki, this is a terrible idea..." I whined as I was shoved into the trunk of the Camp Van. My leg still hurt, but not as much as before, since I doctored it up. As long as I didn't put too much constant pressure on it, I would be fine.

"Oh c'mon, you'll be fine! All you gotta do now is sneak out of the car when the Quartermaster goes to the bus station thing and head to the bus stop where he'll pick you up! Simple!" Nikki explained like it was the easiest task to ever exist.

"Where do I even go to get picked up anyways?" I asked, leaning my head tiredly on the blanket that was going to cover me.

"It's in front of some Froyo place on 113 East Main Avenue. It's called The Fuzzy Peach." Neil explained, showing me a map on Google Maps on David's phone. (Max stole it.) Suddenly, he shoved a large piece of paper into my arms.

"Wh- What the hell is this?" I angrily asked the boy.

"It's a map of the area you'll be in. I marked down the quickest path for you to take and everything!" Neil announced proudly.

"Uh, thanks???" I replied, taking the inked piece of paper. "Where'd you get this thing, anyways?"

"There's a printer in the counselor's office."

"Oh."

"Yep."

Suddenly, Max came over.

"Hey, I got your form filled out. You ready to go?" he asked, passing me my backpack. I noted how light it was; he probably took out all the food. I nodded.

"What'd you put down on the form?" I asked, and Max handed me the paper.

NAME: F/N

ACTIVITY:

AGE: ₁̸̡̜̱̠͚̔̆͌͝₄̵̨̪̲̓͛̐̕

I tilted my head at the age, unable to tell if it was a 15 or a 14, but I shrugged it off.

"Alright cool. Now go show it to the counselors. My legs are falling asleep." I ordered. Max smirked at me.

"Can do."

Then, the trunk was closed and I covered myself, preparing for the journey ahead. "Nikki, this better work or I'm gonna kill you in your sleep..."

After what felt like a few hours of waiting, I heard the door to the Van open and close, followed by a female sighing. I peeked out from under the blanket, and saw Gwen. My blood froze. It was Quartermaster who was supposed to pick me up, not Gwen! I looked out the back window, panicked. Max, Neil, and Nikki had the same expression. I glared daggers at the girl in red overalls, and I saw her gulp in fear. This was all her fault!

Suddenly, the car started and I ducked, waiting for my time to shine.

I was awakened from my nap as I felt the car stop and heard the sound of the car door opening. I looked out the window (Still covered by the blanket of course). We were at the spot I was supposed to sneak to! I saw Gwen walk into the froyo shop and look around. I decided that this was my chance. While it wasn't exactly what I was originally going to do, I decided that this was okay enough.

While her back was turned, I stuffed everything into my bag (everything being the blanket and the map), climbed over the seats and exited the car. I felt a little dizzy from standing up so suddenly, but I managed to close the door and make it to the sidewalk.

And at that moment, everything hit me at once.

The sounds of footsteps on the sidewalk, the smell of exhaust from passing cars, the shadows from the tall buildings that blocked out the sun from view.

I was in the city.

I wasn't stuck battling it out in the middle of the woods.

I could do anything I wanted to.

I was free.

I was FREE.

My mind suddenly shifted from walking into the shop to daydreams of going to a homeless shelter, a nice family finding me on the streets and taking me in, me cuddling with my little sibling or older, being taught how to put on makeup, Home Cooked meals, actually celebrated birthdays, a Christmas that didn't result in me being lashed, me going to school and making friends, the one I'd spend the rest of my time with. My first prom. Me being hap-

I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts by a gentle hand on my shoulder. I blinked in confusion and looked up. Tan skin, purple eyes, and brown hair. Green t shirt, brown shorts and boots. It was Gwen.

"Uh, hey there, kid..." Gwen greeted, "Are you... okay?" I blinked again in confusion.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, fiddling with my hands in nervousness. What was she going to do to me?

"You just look really lost..." Gwen answered, her eyebrows furrowing in worry.

"Oh... sorry about that..." I muttered, breaking eye contact. We stood there in an awkward silence, before Gwen spoke.

"So, I'm looking for a kid. Their name is F/N. I'm supposed to take them to Camp Campbell. Would you happen to know them, by any chance?" she asked, and I froze.

If I pretended that I didn't know who F/N was, I could easily just escape. Be done with this and live here in the city where I can have a chance. If I left with Gwen, I'd just be taken back to the campground to probably rot. But if I stayed in the city, I'd be surrounded by them. They could find me and take me back to the basement where I'd be punished for breathing. There's even a chance I wouldn't even be able to get a job anywhere. If I went to Camp Campbell, at least I'd have friends (kinda), food, and a place to sleep.

I couldn't believe I even thought about leaving my stuff and the others behind.

I decided to speak.

"A-actually, I AM F/N." I said, "Uh, my mom told me to come here to wait, but I couldn't find anyone who was from Camp Campbell, so I got scared." That was a total lie, but it's not like I could say "Hey, I rode in the trunk of your car from the camp to be legally allowed in and now I want you to take me back."

"Oh! Then that's perfect!" Gwen exclaimed, taking her arm off my shoulder, "Sorry if you expected a bus. We ran out of bus transportation money, so I had to pick you up personally. My name's Gwen; I'm one of the counselors at Camp Campbell." she stuck out her hand for me to shake, and I stared at it for a second before hesitantly reaching out and shaking it. I flinched when our skin made contact, before relaxing and taking in the feeling of her hand. It was warm and soft, besides the feeling of scratches and calluses.

It was... nice? I guess?

Once she let go, I was shocked to find myself being dragged into the Froyo shop.

"Wait, aren't we supposed to be going to the camp...?" I asked the brunette.

"Yeah, but I figured since we're here, we'd get a treat before hitting the road. I'll pay, don't worry." she replied humorously. I nervously giggled, uttering a weak "thank you". What was she up to?

I was now next to the froyo dispensers, their flavors marked by a sign above them on the wall. I jumped as a small container was placed into the palms of my hands. I looked up at Gwen, who was contemplating what flavor to get. Suddenly, a blonde woman in an apron came over; She was carrying a stack of small paper cups.

"Hello! I noticed you're still trying to decide what flavors to get, so I uh, brought some cups so you could sample." she explained, "Are there any flavors you'd like to try?"

"Um, could I try the Berry Blast?" Gwen asked, and the lady brought her a sample, the tiny paper cup filled with the pink cream. It looked tasty. The lady turned to me.

"Anything you'd like to try, hon?" the server asked, and I began to sweat. I nervously looked up at the list of flavors. I quickly chose the first one my eye successfully caught.

"Uh, strawbeach... please...?" I muttered, just loud enough for the lady to hear me. She nodded enthusiastically.

"I like that one a lot." she mused as she squeezed my sample out from the machine, "Here ya' go!"

I stared down at the small sample in my hands. Pink and blue. Smelled SUPER fruity, but no poison. I cautiously took a lick; it was cold and creamy, and I was correct about the fruitiness. Strawberry, pineapple, blue raspberry, mango, and peach.

It tasted good. I nervously ate the rest as fast as I could, afraid I would offend the server. From the corner of my eye, I saw Gwen gazing at me, an odd emotion in her eye. I froze, before throwing away the now empty cup in the trash bin next to me. Was she mad at me? Was I taking too long? I heard Gwen chuckle.

"Kid, it's like you've never been to a frozen yogurt bar in your life." she commented, walking over to one of the machines and dispensing her froyo. I decided to do the same, walking over the the strawbeach dispenser. I was about to put my hand on the handle, but suddenly froze. How much was I allowed to have? Was I even allowed this flavor? How expensive was this?

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a familiar hand took my cup and dispensed a good amount of froyo into it, before it was handed back to me. My eyes snapped up at Gwen, who was smiling at me in amusement, curiosity, and...

Was that concern?

"You can take whatever toppings you want. I have the money. Don't worry about it." she told me as she lead me to the the toppings area.

Peanuts, gummy worms, crushed oreos, piroulines, you name it, it was there. I felt my mouth water. There was so much food, and I was so hungry... I decided to add some gummy bears, rainbow sprinkles, strawberry and kiwi popping bubbles, whipped cream, raspberry sauce, and a cherry on top.

Once I was finished putting my toppings on, I placed it on the scale next to Gwen's froyo. I grabbed a blue spoon while Gwen paid and sat down at a nearby table, opting to stay out of the woman's way. Soon, my masterpiece was placed in front of me, as well as Gwen sitting down across from me. We both dug in and didn't speak, the only sound being the chatter of other customers and the scraping of our plastic spoons against the side of the cups.

It was nice.

I looked up and met Gwen's amethyst eyes. We sat there for a second, just staring.

Finally, she spoke.

"So F/N, I couldn't help but notice your parents weren't with you."

I flinched. She couldn't find out. If she did...

"U-uh, yeah. They're uh, on a business trip." I lied, looking around and fiddling with my fingers. She cocked an eyebrow, but left it be. I suddenly felt very exposed, but I pushed that feeling to the back of my mind.

"So Ms. Gwen... what's Camp Campbell like...?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

I saw her shift uncomfortably in her chair, and I smirked. She was about to lie to my face.

I knew it.

"Personally, it's not the best." she answered, before taking another bite of her almost done froyo.

Wait, what??

I leaned forward and rested my head on my hand, which was propped up by my elbow. I swirled the leftover melted yogurt with my spoon.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, wondering why she thought it was bad. What? Everyone's got different views.

"To put it simply, it's just..." she sighed, "It's just poorly organized and run. It doesn't help that some of the kids are... terrible... to say the least." I instantly knew she was talking about Max, Neil, and Nikki. Especially Max.

"I'm sorry to hear that..."

"No, it's fine. It gets me money, so I'm cool with it."

I smiled slightly at her response.

After finishing up our froyo, Gwen and I left the shop and headed back to the van. She unlocked the door for me and I stepped in, tossing my super light backpack onto the floor before shutting the door. Gwen got in the driver's seat, and we both put on our seatbelts. I shuddered at the feeling of the rough strip of fabric rubbing against my neck. I haven't felt anything like that in years. I shifted around awkwardly as Gwen started the car, and soon we were on our way.

Back to Camp Campbell we go.

After around 15 minutes of silence, Gwen started to speak.

"So F/N, tell me about yourself." she said, keeping her eyes trained on the road. I shrugged in response.

"What's there to tell?"

"Y'know, hobbies, foods you like, animals, whatever." the purple eyed woman responded.

"Oh... well, I like to draw... I guess..." I murmured, staring out the window. It was a nice day out; clear skies, comfortable temperature, flawless green grass...

"What kinds of things do you draw?" Gwen asked, glancing at me for a second.

"Pretty basic stuff... people, sceneries, maybe some animals..." I answered shyly, observing the patches of wildflowers on the side of the road as we zipped by.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" Gwen pointed out.

I simply nodded my head.

Gwen hummed in understanding before the van fell into a comfortable silence. I kept staring out the window, before I suddenly wondered what was in my bag. Yeah, it was hell of a lot lighter than usual, but I could tell there was still some stuff inside.

I reached down and grabbed my bag by the top handle, before pulling it into my lap and opening it. I did my best to hide my surprise.

The map was still in there (that was unsurprising), but beneath the crumpled paper was a toothbrush and toothpaste that was still in their packaging, some granola bars, a familiar roll of bandages, and clothing.

My stolen clothing, to be exact.

Y'know, the things from my hidden home?

From the tree.

 


	5. F/N fucking regrets life desicions, I guess

Max's POV, 7 hours earlier

I grumbled as I was forced to the Mess Hall by David, who picked me up and practically dragged me to the old building. Just as David was about to open the door, I wriggled out of his grip and stood up, before fixing my hair.

"Dickhead." I mumbled under my breath, opening the door myself and heading inside, Neil following behind me.

Everything was normal; people sitting down with their food, chatter all around, and Nikki waiting for us at our table. I got in line for food while Neil made a beeline towards Nikki to talk to her about something. While waiting in line, I thought about how to get some medicine and shit for F/N to use. What if I faked an injury...? Maybe I could get Nurf to stab someone and steal the supplies while everyone is panicking? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea...

Once I had my food and sat down, something suddenly hit me...

It was Saturday.

That meant we could do whatever we wanted. No counselors telling us what to do, or breathing down our backs...

"Hey Max! Neil has an idea!" Nikki announced, bouncing in her seat. She had already eaten her food? I wasn't surprised because that's what typically happens, but damn, the girl ate fast. I turned to the Jewish boy.

"What is it genius?" I asked, boredly shoving some soggy pancake into my mouth.

"So, you remember the revolution, right?" he asked, before taking a bite of his apple.

"Of course I remember, dumbass. It happened not even a full 24 hours ago." I sneered.

"Then I'm sure you remember F/N hanging from her leg?"

"Just get to the point, Neil." I growled.

"Okay, okay..." Neil sighed, "I was thinking we go through the woods to find F/N's hideout or something today. Maybe she left some important things behind before she began bunking with us?"

I was about to interject before I processed what he said.

Find out where F/N's been this whole time.

Learn about her interests and weaknesses.

Find out why the fuck she's living in the middle of the woods.

"... I'm listening."

Nikki cheered in glee.

"YEAH! HOUSE HUNT!"

"UGH! AGAIN? SERIOUSLY?!" Neil shrieked in anger as he was hanging upside down from a tree for the 6th time. Once again, Nikki climbed the tree Neil was hanging from and cut the rope, causing Neil to fall on his face, which was covered in dirt from all the other times we had to repeat this process.

"Stupid fucking traps..." Neil lamented, rubbing his head. Nikki jumped down from the tree and landed perfectly.

"Watch your step next time." she teased.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID THE LAST 4 TIMES!" the dirty boy yelled angrily, brushing dirt off his red pants. I rolled my eyes at their stupidity.

"Guys, shouldn't we find the place where I first found F/N instead of just aimlessly wandering through the woods?" I suggested.

"You mean where  _I_  first found her. I saw her and called out to you, remember?" Neil corrected, and I glared at him.

"Fine. Where YOU found her." I pouted, "Let's go."

We looked around for a little while, Neil watching his every step. Soon, we came to a familiar tree, a cut rope swinging from one of the branches.

"Yup, this is it." I commented, and Nikki suddenly leapt forward and crouched like a dog, sniffing the ground.

I looked around, when I suddenly noticed something; dried blood on the ground. It was a glossy dark red. Neil noticed what I was looking at immediately and gasped.

"I didn't realize how injured she was..."

"GUYS LOOK! IT'S A TRAIL!" Nikki suddenly yelled, startling us. I looked around; I couldn't see anything that resembled a trail.

"Nikki, be serious! This could ACTUALLY help someone for once!" I scolded. I didn't know why I was so upset about this, but I let it happen.

"I am being serious!" she suddenly crouched by some bent grass that I didn't notice before, "See? The grass is bent! Something was dragged around here! Let's follow it!"

Neil looked at be and shrugged. I looked back at Nikki.

"Might as well."

We followed the trail for a little bit with ease. Bent grass, disturbed leaves, and tiny droplets of blood lead the way deeper into the woods. However, it was starting to get cold, both the trail and the temperature. I shuddered. How did she manage to survive out here?

As Nikki tried to determine where to go next, I looked around boredly. We had been walking around for about 20 minutes now, and I was beginning to grow a little bit tired. I sighed and leaned against a tree, peering through the trees to see in the distance. Suddenly, I noticed something.

It looked like a white sheet blowing in the wind. I lifted myself off the tree and squinted, trying to see better. It was definitely a white sheet, but it was caught on what looked like...

A rope?

.......

A ROPE!

IT'S A CLOTHESLINE!

"GUYS I SEE SOMETHING!" I announced, grabbing Neil and Nikki's arms and running towards the direction of the sheet.

"SHIT MAX!" Neil yelped as he kept tripping with my speed.

"WOO! GO MAX!" Nikki cheered as she ripped her arm out of my grip and ran ahead, before suddenly stopping, which caused me to crash into her and fall.

"OW! Nikki, what the hell!" I groaned as I attempted to crawl out of the body pile. Nikki was on the bottom face down, I was on top of her, and Neil was on top of me, sprawled out. I kicked Neil off and rolled off of Nikki, who was staring blankly into the distance, eyes wide.

"Ugh, Nikki, why did you stop runni-" Neil cut himself off before staring in the same direction as the hyperactive girl in awe. I looked at them in confusion as I stood up, before trying to see what they saw. I took a few steps past a tree, before I saw it.

It was a HUGE tree.

In the front of the trunk, a colorful woven mat was nailed into it, creating a flap that crudely concealed a closet-sized hole. Up in the branches, a rope was neatly tied around them, with different types of clothing hanging off of said rope. On one of the branches that jutted out, a swing made from an old piece of wood and more rope swayed in the breeze.

"I..." Neil stuttered.

"I think we found it." I finished for the awestruck boy.

After untangling, we all ran towards the huge tree. I slid under the mat, successfully landing me into the room. Neil checked out the swing, and Nikki climbed up the tree. I looked around the dimly lit room I had stumbled into.

In the corner sat a bed of leaves, crunchy and brown. Next to it sat a metallic bucket filled with fresh water. Across the room, there were small wooden shelves that had been crudely nailed into the wooden walls, which held small knickknacks, and a small picture frame. I grabbed the picture frame to check out later. In the middle of the small room, there was a circle of stones and sand with a bunch of sticks. A firepit. I looked up at the ceiling and noticed a small hole had been burned through the top of the trunk. Probably to let smoke from the fire out. I couldn't help but notice the large sheet of plastic that covered the hole from the sky in the treetop. Most likely to keep the rain out if she had a fire going.

For living in the middle of the woods, her place was actually decent. I could imagine how she could survive.

Suddenly, Nikki's leg dangled through the hole in the roof.

"OW!" she cried out, before gently removing her leg from the crevice.

"Nikki, what the fuck are you doing?" I called out to her.

"Just checking out the top! There's a lot of stuff up here, actually." she replied. I could see her sitting down to rub her now scratched up leg. What was it with people and leg injuries these days?

"What kind of stuff?" Neil asked from outside the tree.

"Come up and see for yourself!" Nikki chirped.

I sighed and stuffed the picture frame into my hoodie pocket. Then, I lifted up the flap that was the entrance/exit and left the small room behind. I looked up and saw Nikki trying to help Neil climb. I watched as he dangled helplessly from a branch.

"HOW THE HELL DID SHE GET UP HERE?!?" the boy yelled in panic, kicking his legs. I decided to be merciful and give him a boost. I jumped, pushing him up by his butt. He yelped in shock, only to be pulled up completely by Nikki. I then jumped again and grabbed a branch, the rough bark lightly scratching my hands. I struggled, but I was able to pull myself up. Then I reached for another branch and did the same thing until I was at the top. Neil grabbed my waist and pulled me onto the platform. I sighed in exhaustion. Why the hell was that so hard?

After gaining my balance, we all looked around. Rope was tied around the tree branches around us, acting as a clothesline. I saw shorts, shirts, socks, underwear, and a singular white bed sheet, the one I saw earlier. I saw Nikki grab as many types of clothes as she can, stuffing them into a white and red sack we stole from Quartermaster. The red was probably a bloodstain, but I didn't want to think about that right now. Neil nudged me.

"So did you find anything inside?" he asked, leaning against a branch.

"Not really. The only thing I found that could be relatively important was a picture frame." Neil quickly swiped it out of my hands and Nikki turned to me excitedly.

"OOOOOH! DID SOMEBODY SAY JUICY SECRETS??"

"Hey! I was gonna-" I was cut off by Neil sounding nervous.

"Uhh, guys?" he called out, voice quivering. He was staring at the picture. "You might wanna take a look at this."

He held out the frame for us to see, and I could've sworn my heart stopped beating for a second.

The frame was made of wood which was spray painted gold around the edges, but had tiny blood smears as well. The glass that held the photo in place was slightly cracked and dirty, but still showed the image beneath. While the frame was disconcerting, the picture itself was the most alarming.

It was a picture of 4 people. One was a small girl with short H/C hair, S/T skin, and E/C eyes. The girl was wearing a gold headband with a bow and a frilly pink and gold dress. She looked to be around 4 years old. She was smiling. The little girl was sitting in the lap of another girl, who looked much older. Her hair was darker than the little girl's, and much longer. It went down past her chest in graceful curls. She wore a dark blue sundress with gold jewelry. She had the same skin tone as the other kid. The two kids were sitting in a chair with a gold frame and red velvet cushions. Standing to the right of the chair was a woman who I assumed to be their mother. She wore a dark red dress, and her skin was a bit darker than the kids. She had her hand on the older daughters shoulder, which looked kinda stiff from the touch, as if she wanted to flinch away. Finally, to the left of the chair stood a man. He was wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt beneath the blazer, and dark red tie. He had his hands behind his back. It looked like your average rich family portrait, besides one creepy factor.

Everyone's faces except for the little girls were hidden with blood. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Yeah, I think we should leave this place and never come back. I think we're getting involved in something we really shouldn't..." Neil muttered, looking at the photo again. I saw him shiver.

"Yeah, I agree... This weird stone thing we're standing on has dried blood on it in a creepy symbol..." she responded fearfully, stepping away from the stone embedded into the tree. The stone, even though it was probably harmless, was glinting ominously, and gave off the aura that we should bury it and forget it even existed. The symbol she was talking about was in the very middle of the stone. It was an eye inside of a diamond shape. The eye seemed to stare into my soul. I shivered. The air suddenly seemed much colder.

"...Yeah, let's get out of here and we'll discuss this once we're back to a safe and not probably cursed area." I announced, quickly climbing down the tree, Nikki and Neil quickly copying me. Once we were down, Nikki flipped the picture around in the frame so we wouldn't see it. The back of the photograph was still creepy as hell, but not nearly as the actual picture. On the back, it was just in sentence in calligraphy.

"June 6, 2006. L/N family portrait, Luciel Photography©"

We decided to shove the photo into the bag and leave.

Once we set foot away from the tree, we didn't look back.

F/N's POV, current time.

Soon, Gwen and I were back to Camp Campbell. As we pulled into the dirt driveway, I couldn't help but notice the many pairs of eyes that were watching me from the outside of the Mess Hall. I gulped in nervousness, and wiped my clammy hands on my dirt caked pants. Why was I so nervous anyways? It's not like I had never been here before. Maybe I was just used to pure solitude?

Yeah, that was probably it...

The moment I stepped out of the van, I was greeted by a cheery David.

Right in my face.

"HELLO! Welcome to Camp Campb-"

Out of shock and fear, I gasped and threw a fist, which collided with his nose. It was effective and pushed him away from me, but he yelled in pain, snapping me out of my shock.

"O-OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY! I PROMISE IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN, I-"

"WOAH! Okay F/N, calm down. I'm sure you were just surprised..." Gwen knelt down next to me.

Wait, knelt?

I opened my eyes and saw that I was bowing and kneeling. I was on my knees, my body hunched over so my forehead was touching the dirt ground. I had put my hands in front of me, folded. In the background, I could hear Max and some other kids laughing their asses off. I felt my face grow hot in embarrassment and shame, and had to quickly blink away tears before they spilled out. I quickly jumped up and looked around, seeing David holding his nose. He was obviously in pain, but he also seemed to have other things on his mind. A bit of blood escaped his fingers. Fuck. I was really in for it now.

"Okay campers!" David suddenly announced, voice still happy, if not a bit nasally, "While I go patch this up, who would like to show F/N around?"

I looked to the crowd of kids and saw that basically all of them had their hands raised. Even Max. I nervously eyed the counselors, who eyed me back.

"Oh wow, okay... Uhhh, let's have... MAX!" David announced, "And Ered, would you mind taking F/N's bag to her tent? The rest of you can start preparing for bedtime." Some of the kids grumbled in annoyance, but everyone still obliged to his wishes. Once Max had taken his place next to me, Gwen spoke to him.

"Maaax, DO NOT be a little shit about this, got it?" She sternly ordered. Max only smirked.

"Yeah yeah, I got it. Now go fix David's face before he bleeds out." he snarkily replied, grabbing my arm and dragging me away from the co-counselor.

"I'm not gonna bother since you already know pretty much everything about this place." Max said, letting go of my arm, "But you do have a tent to yourself apparently. It's tent 7. I'm sure you can find it."

"Uh, okay." I replied.

While Max headed towards the bathrooms, I headed over to the tent areas. I almost immediately spotted tent #7. I jogged over to it and was about to enter, but the doors suddenly burst open, revealing a girl that looked maybe a year or 2 younger than me. She had baby blue eyes, long blonde hair with pink highlights, A yellow shirt under a navy blue jacket, distressed skinny jeans, and pale purple boots. I remembered her as the "X-treme sports barbie" as Max had called her during the Revolution. She looked up at me shocked for a second, before realizing it was me.

"Oh hey, New Dude! How's it hangin'? I just put your bag inside, so you don't need to worry about that." the girl greeted casually, and I smiled nervously.

"Uh, thanks... I know you probably already know my name, but it's F/N..." I was mentally cursing myself for being so nervous. WHY THE HELL WAS I SO NERVOUS?

"Oh, sweet! Totally cool name. My name is Meredith, but you can call me Ered." she introduced, smiling cooly. I did my best to smile back.

"Nice to meet you, Ered... I'll see you in the morning, I guess..." I replied.

"Sure thing, N/N (Nickname)." she began walking away. "Also, nice punch! I couldn't have done better myself, haha."

"Ehehe, thanks..."

Once that was over, I entered my tent, which was pretty much the same as Max and Neil's. The only difference was that there weren't any logs to hang stuff up on, and there was only 1 bed.

On top of my bed sat my precious bag. I smiled and opened it, dumping out all of its contents. I would've done it in the van, but I didn't want to make any noise or make a mess. I quickly sorted out everything:

Pants, Shirts, Hoodies, Socks, Shoes, Underwear, Hairbrush, Toothbrush, and Snacks. Pretty much all of it was stuff I had left back at my tree. I furrowed my brow in confusion. How the hell did all of this stuff get here? The only way it could get here was if...

Oh no...

I quickly bolted out of my tent and to Max's, throwing open the flaps.

"GAH! F/N, WHAT THE FUCK!" Neil yelped in shock, shoving something that looked oddly familiar under his pillow. Next to him sat Max, who looked just as shocked as Neil did.

I entered the tent as calmly as I could, gently closing the doors. I could feel the tension and fear in the air as I wordlessly walked over to the two boys, towering over them as they sat on the bed.

I glared at them for a few seconds, not saying a word. Max tried to hide it, but he gulped in fear. Neil was looking around nervously, foot tapping with anxiety. Both of their eyes kept flitting back and forth from me, to each other, to the pillow.

Finally, I spoke.

"Did you find my tree?" I asked darkly, putting my hands on my hips. I could tell that I looked intimidating as shit to them right now.

"W-what tree? I know of no tree! Ehehe, what are you talking about? You're probably just tired! WhY don't you-" Neil's guilty and scared rambling was cut off by me throwing the pillow off his bed, revealing the photo frame.

MY photo frame.

The one I NEVER let leave the tree.

Max and Neil slowly turned back to me, eyes wide with pure fear. I picked up the photo, eyes filled with death.

"What else did you take?" I asked darkly, running my fingers over the cracks in the dirty glass.

"H-Huh?" Max stuttered.

"You heard me."

The boys were silent for a few moments, just staring at me. Finally, after the suffocating tension, Neil suddenly cried out.

"WE'RE SORRY! The only other things we took were a bunch of clothes, and a bedsheet. That's all we took! Honest!" he spilled, throwing himself at my feet begging for mercy. I looked at Max for conformation, and he rapidly nodded. I stared at the two for a second, before sighing.

"I forgive you, just..." I stared at the picture in my hands sadly, "Just don't do this again. You could've gotten hurt, or worse..."

I felt the boys staring at me. I didn't say anything, but eventually I sighed and walked out of the tent, shoving the frame into my hoodie pocket and walking towards my tent. I felt bad for yelling at them, but what they did was wrong. Some things just needed to be kept private. I entered my tent and examined the photo once again.

An ornate and bloodied wooden photo frame held the dirty cracked glass that protected the gruesome picture behind it. It was me, sitting on my sister's lap, with my parents standing beside us. I had smudged blood and dirt onto their faces, to remind me that they weren't here anymore. Once again, memories began to flash at me, but I didn't stop them this time, nor the tears that fell alongside them.

_"Oi. Kid. Get up." a deep voice commanded, making me shudder in fear. I quickly rolled out of my bed and hastily fixed the covers before facing the man that observed me._

_My dad._

_"You know the drill. Food and dishes. Now." he said, before disappearing into the room next to mine. Once he disappeared, I made my way down into the kitchen and began to cook._

_"WHAT THE FUCK IS ALL OF THIS SHIT?!" my dad screamed, taking the cigar out of his mouth and shoving the lit end against the soft skin of my neck. I screamed and began scrambling around the ground, picking up the shards of the vase that my dog had broken._

_"I'M SORRY! I WON'T BREAK ANYTHING ELSE!" I pleaded, smaller blades of the china digging into the skin of my knees. A harsh hand grabbed my hair, and the deranged eyes of my father stared into mine._

_"You better fucking not, or you're on cleanup for a month."_

_"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TREAT US LIKE THIS! YOU MONSTER!" Mom screamed at dad, holding up a frying pan for protection._

_Dad slammed his foot onto hers, successfully creating a loud cracking noise. Mom cried out in pain._

_"Don't you EVER SPEAK LIKE THAT TO ME, WHORE!" he roared into her face._

_My heart was pounding as I loaded my bag. Clothes, personal hygiene, non-perishable food, a photo frame, and a small switchblade. These were the items that I had gathered to escape with. I glanced around my room, mentally thanking it for lending me at least the tiniest bit of shelter. Finally, I silently opened the window and cut the screen, before jumping out into the cold depths of midnight. Mom gently took mine and my sisters hand, her own bag on her shoulders. We began to run, and not once did we look back._

I glared lasers at the photo, harshly rubbing away the tears that cascaded down my cheeks like Niagra falls. I stared into my younger self's likeness and tensed up, anger consuming my being. I growled at the photo before throwing it onto the ground and repeatedly stepping on it, until I could barely see anything. The glass was too cracked. I sighed in relief, grief, and shame all at once.

I didn't have to see that god-forbidden photo anymore, but it was all that I had to remind me of the good times I had, even if they were rarer than a diamond. I was ashamed at myself for losing control and going through with such a violent act.

No wonder dad hated me.

I stared at the small glass shards on the floor, seeing the minuscule bits of my reflection. I was going to clean it up, but I suddenly felt so... drained. I looked at my bed, which was still covered in my belongings, but I didn't care. I crashed onto the shitty woven mattress that actually felt like heaven, me being used to sleeping on leaves that didn't support shit. The moment my head hit the soft pillow, I was out like a light.


	6. Isn't being scarred for life amazing?

Gwen's POV

I was sitting in the cabin reading one of my mags when I suddenly remembered something.

"Shit... I was supposed to talk to F/N about the rules and such..." I mumbled to myself, standing up and setting down the magazine on the desk. Suddenly, David walked in, his bright smile immediately fading.

"Ugh... " he groaned, his face becoming sad.

"Did Max do something again?" I asked, grabbing one of the lanterns off of the walls.

"No, I just feel really bad about earlier. I'm afraid I made a bad impression on our new camper..."

"Oh, you mean F/N. Yeah, don't get into people's faces like that. Personal space, y'know?" I said, glancing at the redhead. He guiltily rubbed his wrist, his brows furrowing. I couldn't help but stare at the bloody tissues that had been stuffed into his nostrils and the large band-aid on the bridge of his nose. His skin was black and blue. F/N had really gotten him good.

"Also, about F/N..." David began, "I think something's really bothering them. With a reaction like that one earlier... I'm thinking they're scared of something." I perked up at the mention of F/N's behavior.

"Actually, I have a bit of a theory. Usually, people with violent reactions to unexpected things have been abused in some way in the past. Trust me, I know. I have a degree in psychology." I announced.

"Oh, that reminds me! How was the trip to pick her up?" David asked, pulling out some pajamas from the drawers.

"It was pretty okay. F/N is really quiet... They don't like talking. They're also really secretive... However, I did learn that they like to draw, so that's a start." I answered, turning away so David could change.

"Oh, nice! She and Dolf might get along well then. Also, you picked her up at a froyo place, right? Did you get anything?" David asked, tapping me on the shoulder to let me know he was done changing.

I was suddenly reminded of the terrified and confused face F/N had the entire time we were in the froyo shop.

"Yeah we did... and that reminds me of something..." I mumbled, the entire scene playing in my head.

"Of what?"

"F/N is... I don't know how describe this... but she was absolutely TERRIFIED inside of the shop. I gave her the cup to eat out of and she had no idea what to do. One of the servers asked her what flavor she wanted to try and it was like she was panicking. Like she didn't know what to do. I had to dispense her froyo for her because she froze up in the line. It was like she hadn't spoken to another human being in years. She had no clue what to do... And not to mention when I first found her. She was just... standing there... in the middle of the sidewalk. She didn't even notice me walk up to her until I tapped her. She looked so scared... I actually feel bad, thinking about it now..." I droned on. However, David was listening to every word intently. His face had turned into one of worry.

"It's only been about 10 minutes since you two got here. Maybe she's still awake and we can talk to her about it?" David suggested, taking the lantern from my hands and lighting it.

"I don't think we should talk to her about THAT so soon. Give her some time to adjust and get comfortable with the camp and us. But if she's awake, we should talk to her about ground rules. Y'know, things like what's okay and what isn't, schedules, etc..." I suggested.

"Good idea. Let's go!" David suddenly chimed, perking up and heading out the door. I followed suit.

"Do you think she's awake?" David asked as we approached her tent. The lantern was still on inside.

"Maybe." I answered as we came up to the flaps. I unzipped the opening and stepped inside, before gasping at the scene in front of me in shock.

There was glass all over the floor, the glass coming from a photo frame that had been smashed. I saw blood on some of the shards, making me begin to sweat. To the left of the mess, was F/N. She had dumped her bag onto the cot she was given to sleep on, and was currently passed out on top of all her stuff. I couldn't help but notice the tear stains on her sleeping face. She looked so...

Sad.

"Holy shit..." David whispered to himself in awe and terror.

What the fuck happened?

David and I looked at each other, worry on both of our faces. Suddenly David's face became one of determination.

"Gwen? I think we know what we're gonna have to do." David said.

"Get close enough to her to find out what's wrong and help solve all her problems?"

"Yep."

And with that, I turned off her lantern and left the tent with David, ideas on how to help buzzing through our minds.

F/N's POV

"GOOOOOD MORNING, CAMPERS!" I heard David yell from outside, "RISE AND SHINE!" I groaned and rolled over onto my side, before falling onto the plastic ground of the tent with a thud.

"Ugh... Come on..." I groaned in annoyance. I heaved myself onto my feet, tiredly steadying myself. I heard familiar footsteps approaching my tent. It was David.

"Oh F/N! It's time to get up!" he called. I could see his silhouette about to open the tent, and in a split second I remembered the shit that took place in here before.

"DON'T COME IN!" I yelped, kneeling next to the broken glass on the floor, "I'm, uh, getting dressed!"

"Oh, okay! Well just so you know, breakfast is ready!" David informed, walking away from my tent.

"Thanks!"

I quickly grabbed the plastic bag that Max and the others had put snacks in, and scooped the glass into it. I knew it would probably cut through, but it was better than leaving it all over the floor for someone to injure themselves with.

Once I had the glass cleaned up, I grabbed a new and clean outfit before putting it on, as well as putting on some deodorant and brushing the knots out of my hair. I made a mental note to brush my teeth after breakfast as I exited the tent and made my way to the Mess Hall.

Once I swung open the doors, I was greeted with nothing but noise. Kids chattering, forks scraping against plates, and dishes being washed in the back all swam through my head, causing me to become slightly weak in the knees. I had no idea my ears were so sensitive. Maybe that's just what living in the woods did to you?

I did my best to ignore the sheer volume of the noises and headed to the tray rack before walking up to the Quartermaster store. I felt a bit sick as the Quartermaster plopped soggy pancakes onto my plate, as well as an old apple. I begrudgingly thanked the old man and was about to walk away when a hook grabbed me by the back of my shirt.

I nervously turned to the man, who was staring intently at me.

"Uhhhh, c-can I help you?" I stuttered, gripping my tray in slight fear. I felt like a deer being hunted by a bear.

"..... It's you, isn't it?" He asked, changing my fear into confusion.

"Huh?"

"The Ghost Thief... is you." He grumbled, dark eyes staring into my soul. I shuddered, the fear creeping back. How did he know?

I just stared at him, not knowing how to react. He stared at me for a few more seconds before sighing and removing his hook from my shirt collar.

"Just go eat."

"Okay...?"

And with that, I quickly walked to the table that was farthest from the Quartermaster store and sat down. I was about to stuff my face when I noticed three kids coming towards me. It was Neil, Nikki, and Max.

Of course.

"Sup'?" I said before taking a bite of pancake. I was kinda surprised at the taste. Yeah they were kinda soggy, but they were fairly sweet. They didn't actually taste bad. Of course, that was probably because I was used to sleeping or eating weirdly cooked meat for breakfast.

"Nothing much. Just wanting to hang myself. Anything to get away from DAVID." Max lamented, plopping down on the bench next to me.

"Fuck dude, that's relatable." I replied, "Though my reason is probably different than yours."

It was true. I felt really bad about last night. I doubt I'd be able to face him again. I didn't want to punch him in the face, but he was just... too close. Maybe I could get some apology flowers or something?

"OH! Speaking of David, Max, didn't you plan another escape?" Neil asked, sitting across from me. Nikki sat down next to him, digging into her plate of food. I decided to join her.

"Fuck yeah I did. But, we're gonna have to wait until night." he declared, stabbing his pancake with a knife. I felt a weird feeling in my gut. It was either anxiety, or...

I looked down at my crotch. No blood. I was relieved. It was just anxiety, thank God. Why did that happen, anyways?

I shrugged the thoughts off and tuned back into Max and Neil's conversation, still eating. They were sucked into their own little conversation, the occasional cuss word available to my ears. I noticed Nikki was nowhere to be found. I looked down at my tray and saw everything was gone, so I stood up and took it to the counter so it could be washed. Then, I walked outside.

It was pretty sunny out, clouds slowly drifting across the blue sky with a warm wind. Combined with the sounds of birds chirping and the sloshing of water nearby, the atmosphere was quite peaceful. I decided to take a walk to look for Nikki. Knowing her, she was either fucking around in the woods or the water. I decided that the water was the best place to search first.

As I walked the trail to the docks, I couldn't help but notice the usual dirt switching to sand. I sighed and took off my boots and socks, setting them to the side of the trail. I continued until I reached the beach part of Camp Campbell.

"Nikki?" I called out, hoping that she'd hear me. No answer. I tried again.

"NIKKI!" I yelled. The only response was my voice echoing back to me from across the water. I sighed in defeat. Not here. However, the cool water was too enticing to just walk away from. I decided to roll up my shorts even shorter than they were, wading into the water until it was up to just below my knees.

It was soothing. I felt as if none of my problems existed. Like they had been washed away by the water. I relished in the feeling of tranquility...

Until a loud and familiar voice broke through the air, interrupting my thoughts.

"OHH F/NNNN!!!" David called. He was standing at the top of the hill that lead to the beach area that I was at now. He stared at me, his face soft and welcoming. My gut twisted in anxiety, but I couldn't help but feel slightly relieved at his happy face, despite the band aid across his nose. At least it wasn't bleeding.

"Oh, h-hey! Mr. David!" I replied, turning in the water to face the man. He smiled and walked down to the beach. I noticed he was holding a small towel. I looked at it in confusion as he walked up to me.

"What's that for?"

"To dry off," David answered handing it to me. "Gwen and I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. Nothing major, just the basic rules of camp."

"Oh."

I stepped out of the water and onto the sand, before sitting on a rock and using the towel to dry off my legs and feet. Once I was done, David handed me my footwear and led me to the counselor's office, a gentle hand on my shoulder. It was odd to me. Foreign, that a hand on a shoulder wasn't there to punish, but instead to lead. It was a weird feeling, but it was nice.

Inside, Gwen was sitting at a desk, writing on some papers on a clipboard. She perked up when David and I stepped inside.

"Hey F/N. Hey David." Gwen casually greeted.

"Hi..." I meekly answered back, David sitting me down on one of the couches. David sat in an armchair across from me. Outside, I could see a bunch of eyes trying to peer inside through the windows. The campers were trying to eavesdrop. I stared at them and arched an eyebrow in confusion, causing their eyes to widen, and they left. I smirked a bit to myself.

Suddenly, Gwen started to speak.

"So, F/N, David and I are here to ask you a few questions, and let you know the rules of camp. Is that okay?" Gwen asked. It was obvious she was trying to make her voice as soothing and calm as possible. I quirked another eyebrow, but nodded.

"Okay then! Let's start with the questions first." David announced, snatching the clipboard out of Gwen's hands, making her scoff slightly, but she didn't fight it.

"So F/N, can you tell us some of your interests? Like, y'know, what you do for fun?" David asked, reading the question off of the clipboard. He grabbed a pencil from a cup on the desk and awaited my answer.

"Uhh... well, let's see here..." I thought for a moment. What DID I do for fun? "Well, I like to draw sometimes... and music is pretty cool too..."

"What kind of music do you listen to?" Gwen asked as David wrote down what was probably my answers on the clipboard.

"To be honest, I'll listen to anything. Even some country songs, depending on the singer..."

"Nice. I'm actually a bit more into the 'emo bands' like Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy and such." Gwen added in. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Nice..."

David asked another question. "What kind of physical activities do you like to do?"

I perked up. "I like to do a lot of physical things. Swimming, walking through the woods, I'm also pretty good at acrobatics if I do say so myself." I boasted.

For a few more minutes, David and Gwen asked me more questions about myself, and told me the schedule. Breakfast was at 9am, lunch was at 1pm, dinner was at 5pm, and everyone had to be in their tents by 9pm. We were also allowed to get snacks whenever we wanted to as long as we asked one of the counselors or the Quartermaster.

"So F/N, how was the tour by the way? I hope Max wasn't too much trouble..." Gwen asked, shuddering at the thought of the curly-haired boy.

"To be honest, Max is actually pretty cool." I replied, leaning my back against the wall and putting my hands behind my head.

At my answer, Gwen choked on her drink. "Wh- Seriously? That's...... surprising to say the least..."

"What's the big idea? Yeah, he has a swearing problem, and he's rude to most campers, and he's a troublemaker. But looking past his shit behavior, he's actually pretty nice. While touring, he was telling me stuff about what he, Nikki, and Neil have done. They seem fun to hang around." I spilled. Yeah, I lied about the tour part, but it was true. I opened up one eye and saw that David and Gwen were gaping at me in awe. I snorted.

"What? People have different friend types and are attracted to different personalities. I like to hang out with the sarcastic assholes who are willing to be open and fun. That's just how it is." I chuckled, before sitting up.

"... I guess..." Gwen replied, her eyes staring at the ground. She seemed upset, but it didn't seem too bad, so I ignored it.

"Well, I guess that ends this. Thanks for talking with us, F/N." David happily concluded, as he finished writing down something. I nodded.

"No problem."

And with that, I exited the cabin.

F/N's POV

Later that night, I was sitting next to Max and Nikki at the fire pit. David was currently telling a scary story. Well, scary to him at least.

"The thing drew closer, with its inhuman breathing, and claws clicking against the floor with each step... Desperately, the young boy pulled the sheet off the creature to reveal... THE DOG THAT GOT TANGLED UP IN HIS LAUNDRY! Booooo!!!!!" he wailed, making shadow puppets with his body. "And THAT'S why you should always properly fold and put away your laundry."

Everyone just stared at him boredly. To make him seem less like an idiot, I clapped a bit.

"Nice... job?" I nervously fake complimented. David stared at me embarrassed.

"Well, uh, it was scary when it happened to me. I was VERY innocent and impressionable back then!" he defended himself, arms crossed.

"...So, last week?" Gwen added in, making me smile a bit at her teasing.

"What's scary is how much I wanna kill myself right now." Max muttered, standing up.

Suddenly, Gwen perked up.

"Okay, okay, I got this. So once, there was this girl that no one really understood-" she was cut off by Max.

"So help me if this involves vampire romance..."

"I-It could've been werewolves. You don't know!"

"Here's a horror story. Go look at the job market you're dealing with after this camp shuts down."

"Ouch." I added in, stuffing another s'more into my face as Gwen proceeded to have another existential crisis. I handed her a s'more to make her feel at least a bit better. She took it gratefully.

"So nothing scares you, Max?" Space Kid asked, "Not even ghosts?"

"People in sheets got me concerned, but nah, not even ghosts. Just not a screamer." he casually replied. Suddenly, I caught his eye.

"What about you, F/N? Are you scared?" he asked, grinning impishly.

I shrugged. "Nah. I'm about the same level as you when it comes to fear."

"What about space ghosts- eh... oh, that's strange..." Space kid groaned as his stomach grumbled, "Uh, mission control? I don't feel so good..."

Oh boy. I quickly but gently took off his helmet so he wouldn't get vomit inside and have to clean it later.

Suddenly, a familiar squirrel popped out of his stomach, breaking open his suit and causing everyone to scream.

Well, everyone except Max and I.

"Wait a minute!" David exclaimed, "How is it that you two weren't even fazed by THAT?!"

"Might've helped if I hadn't put it in his suit to begin with." Max answered. Everyone looked at me, awaiting my answer.

"Eh, I've seen weirder."

David scowled. "Alright, tough guys, so you think you're so-" Suddenly there was moaning and wailing that could be heard in the distance. "-tough? Wh-what do you think about that moaning and wailing?" he finished, squeaking slightly in fear.

"Heh, it's just those teens from the church camp working on those repressions again. They do that shit all the time- Oh, sorry for swearing, David." I answered casually, leaning my back against the log behind me.

"AHH! What about that ghost ship?" David suddenly interjected, pointing at the lake, showing the ship that was smothered in fog.

Everyone but Max and I yet again, screamed in fear. I rolled my eyes at their terror.

"Pirate camp's practicing night sailing." Max answered for me. From the ship in the water, a fun and light hearted "Arr, mateys!" could be heard. I sighed and closed my eyes, but opened up one slightly at the sound of rustling in the underbrush, causing Neil to turn around and follow my line of sight.

"Uh, guuuuuys?" Neil called out, causing Nikki to turn around, and tense up.

"Guys!" she called out as well, making everyone turn around to face the noise.

"Please be puppy please be puppy please be puppy please be puppy..." David mumbled to himself in fear, shaking profusely.

"What the blue ball blazes is happening here?!" Quartermaster suddenly yelled, jumping out of the brush, causing everyone but Max and I (yet again) to scream.

David wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and I stood up. "Oh, whew! Hey Quartermaster." he greeted, out of breath from screaming.

"Someone out here killin' campers?" QM asked, showing off his hook hand.

"We're fine, QM. We're just having some good old campfire scary stories is all." Gwen explained, calming herself down.

"So... no dead campers then?"

"Nope! We're good!"

"Damn."

We all blinked at Qm's response in nervousness.

"And to be sure; no one's doing anything stupid, like trying to get over to... SPOOKY ISLAND?" he asked in an accusing tone. In the distance, lightning crashed over said island, giving it a haunted feeling.

"What? No, of course not!" David defended.

"Not even on the night of the new moon, right?" Quartermaster began, "When ghosts walk the island, and demons rise from the pit, and aliens kidnap trespassers, and probe their tender-"

Gwen cut off QM. "Ohohohoho, okay, We get it, don't we kids?"

"Anuses." Qm finished, "I was gonna say anuses."

On the floor, Space Kid was breathing heavily, obviously light-headed.

"What's with space case?" QM asked.

"Squirrel-splosion." Max and I answered at the same time, causing us to look at each other weirdly.

"Ah. So the revolution has begun." QM muttered, causing an awkward silence.

".........

..........

.......... Well, best be getting you back to camp for a rabies shot."

"Not again..." Space kid groaned as David and Gwen picked him up by the arms and carried him away.

Suddenly, Quartermaster turned to us.

"Heed my words: You better stay away from Spooky Island, no reason to go there, definitely not spooky, stay awaaaaaay." he warned, before disappearing into the woods.

"...You think he's hiding something?" Nikki asked.

"Uh, YES?" Neil answered with sass dripping from his voice.

Nikki gasped. "Maybe it was the ghost he was talking about! Could you IMAGINE meeting one?!"

"Psst, ghosts don't exist." Max interrupted. "You die, and then you're faced with eternal nothingness. It's gonna be great." I rolled my eyes, knowing he was wrong. I knew all of the ghosts of the dead children of Camp Campbell, including Jasper, who lived on Spooky island.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW? YOU'VE NEVER DIED!" Nikki pointed an accusing finger at Max. I snorted. "Maybe not physically." Max made a small snicker at my joke. "Ooh, could you imagine being the first person to find a ghost?! Or a MONSTER!? You'd make the cover of science magazine!" Nikki gushed, grabbing Neil's shoulders.

"Hey! That's a magazine about science!" he pointed out the obvious, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Duh."

"SHUT UP!" Max yelled at Nikki and Neil, "There's nothing to be afraid of! And I'll prove it."

Oh no.

"Okay, before we go, I'm just going to let you know that you WILL be scarred for life once we're done investigating." I pointed out, stretching my back.

"And how do YOU know?" Max asked accusingly, "Did you go raid the island or something to feed yourself because you don't know how to hunt like a dumbass?"

"Okay, first of all smartass, YOU have NO PLACE to talk, Mr. Know-It-All. And second, I DO know how to hunt. I'd be another dead kid in the middle of these woods if I didn't know how! I just get lazy every once in a while. It's human nature!" I defended, grabbing Max's hoodie and yanking it over his face.

"Ugh, whatever!" he angrily yelled, trying to pull it back.

Soon, we had reached the island. I had paddled everyone in the canoe until the boat touched the sand. Suddenly, Nikki jumped out.

"Alright, Spook Hunters! Let's hunt some spooks!" she announced proudly.

"Don't say that..." Max cringed, facepalming.

"Do we actually have a detective team name now?" Neil asked, getting out of the boat slowly. I jumped out.

"Nah. Don't need one."

"Oh! We need a theme song!" Nikki yelled, before pulling out a pocket theremin and playing a spooky tune. Suddenly, Max smacked it out of her hands. "HEY! Do you know how hard it is to find a good pocket theremin?!" she raged, grabbing onto Max's sleeve.

"I'm counting on it." Max sneered, "Now focus! Unless that's your backup singer, we've already got company." he turned on his flashlight and aimed it at the nearby bushes, which were rustling. A pair of familiar blue eyes could be seen.

Suddenly, Jasper jumped out the bushes and screamed in fear, causing Nikki and Neil to as well.

"Who the hell are you?" Max deadpanned.

"This is Jasper," I introduced, walking over and placing a hand on the ghost's head and ruffling his hair, causing him to giggle a bit, "he helped me get my shit together when I first came here. Actually, this is where my first base was located. Right, Jazzy?"

"Yeah! We're buds!" Jasper replied, patting my back. "But anyways, who are you? What are you doing here? This is the last place you want to be on a night like this... A real spooky night..." I rolled my eyes. He was going to do the exact same monologue when I first arrived at Camp Campbell.

_I breathed heavily as I rowed the boat, my arms feeling like noodles. Covered in blood and afraid, I had quickly grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulders. Once the boat reached the shore, I jumped out and hid beneath a large tree, the leaves just barely protecting me from the rain. Above me, thunder rumbled and lightning sparked across the sky. I sat on the ground and sobbed, the rain making my injuries sting. Suddenly, I heard something. Rustling in the bushes next to me. I sniffed and looked, only to see baby blue orbs staring at me. I quickly stood up._

_"H-hello...?" I choked out, my body slowly going numb from the cold. "C-ca-can you help me please?"_

_Then, the boy stepped out of hiding. He had short, sandy blonde hair, a yellow sweater over a purple flannel, purple print shorts, and white sneakers. He looked like he was my age. He smiled at me in pity, and slight fear._

_"W-who are you?" I asked, feeling nauseous. There was blood freely flowing from my arms and collar bone after escaping..._ _him_ _._

_"Me? I'm Jasper. But who are you? What are you doing here? This is the last place you want to be on a night like this... A real spooky night... " I gulped in fear._

_"I'm F/N, and I need shelter and medical attention. Can you help me? Please... I'm at a loss here..." I admitted, tears now falling down my face. I was in so much pain._

_"Oh... I can help you, but I have to warn you. Terrible creatures seek out the mansion, and the wailing... oh gosh... the wailing... and then the bumping in the night starts, and they bump and they bump, and-" I cut off the boy._

_"OH GOD PLEASE JUST HELP ME!" I screamed in agony and fear. I just wanted to be in bed with Mom, but I couldn't even have that._

_"O-oh.. oh gosh... Here..." Jasper gently put an arm around me and helped me walk as I wiped my tears away. He led me as fast as he could to a large mansion, surrounded by the forest. Inside, I could hear the wailing he was talking about. I gripped onto his shirt in fear, as he was my only source of comfort at that moment. He gently pet my damp hair, and quietly opened the door. I stiffened at the two stuffed bears at the entrance, but I let Jasper lead me to wherever he was taking me._

_He led me up two flights of stairs and into a small but comfortable bedroom. He sat me down on the bed before backing away. "I'll be right back, I promise!" he assured before disappearing from view. I looked around the room. It was obviously very old and untouched, seeing as there was dust everywhere. However, there was a large window in the middle of the wall that gave a pleasant view of the island, and all the surrounding area. I watched the raindrops hit the window as I waited for Jasper to come back. And soon, just as promised, Jasper came back. In his hands was a first aid kit. He set it on the bed next to me and opened it, pulling out some rubbing alcohol and cotton pads._

_"Hold still... this will probably sting." he warned softly, before pressing the alcoholized pads to my injuries. I hissed in pain, but let him._

_Once he was done patching me up, we stood by the window and watched the rain._

_"... Thank you."_

"Terrible creatures seek out the mansion, and the wailing... oh gosh... the wailing... and then the bumping in the night starts, and they bump and they bump, and-" Jasper cut himself off when he realized the others had left. He looked up at me in confusion.

"I told ya dude, that monologue is getting old."

"Awww..."

Jasper and I quickly made our way up to the mansion where the rest of the kids were.

"Woah..." Nikki gasped.

"What is this place?" Neil asked, looking around. When he saw Jasper and I, he waved us over.

Max shined the flashlight onto the mailbox, which said C. Campbell.

"Looks like Campbell's old summer home." he answered.

Suddenly, more moaning and wailing was heard from the inside, making Neil yell.

"What the hell was THAT?!"

"I told you, dude! There are THINGS inside!" Jasper answered to Neil, making Nikki gasp.

"THINGS?! Like monsters? I KNEW it!" she cheered.

"Wait, are you guys here to help stop the monsters? Are you like a gang of mystery solvers? Like the Harlem Globetrotters?" Jasper asked in awe.

"Pretty much." Neil answered.

"Oh wow, you guys got a theme song?"

"We're working on it."

"Radical."

"Look man, you're kinda ruining our dynamic." Max butted in, "We're a comedy Quartet. Besides, there's nothing inside."

"THERE'S SOMETHING INSIDE!" Nikki yelled, pointing to a window where an ominous silhouette was standing. I rolled my eyes as Neil yelled "A MONSTER!"

"Yawn." Max said.

"We'll see who's yawning when we're all DEAD!" Nikki cried, before running towards the mansion entrance.

"Why would we-" Max was cut off. Nikki kicked open the doors to the mansion and got in a defensive fighting position.

"ALRIGHT, SASQUATCH! LET'S TANGO!!!" she screamed. Suddenly, as everyone else was walking in, some lightning struck and the lights shut off, causing everyone to yell besides Max and I.

"It's okay. The storm just tripped the power. It'll turn back on in an hour or so." I assured, helping Nikki stand up.

"Aww... if only I had my LA gear light up shoes... They light up the night!" Jasper commented.

"Wonderful." Max groaned sarcastically, before turning on the flashlight and shining it at one of the stuffed bears. Everyone screamed in fear, except the usual Max and I.

"It's a stuffed bear." I assured, placing a calming hand on Neil's shoulder. He hugged my side in fear. Then he took out another flashlight, and shined it at the other stuffed bear.

Everyone yelled again, causing Max and I to roll our eyes.

"It's a SECOND stuffed bear." Max barked, trying to calm the others.

"Oh..." Neil sighed in relief.

"That seems redundant." Nikki pointed out.

"Yeah, and I think endangered." Max added.

"Let's just get the power back on..." Neil begged, walking out of my grip.

"Right! We shall not waver on our quest for the undead!" Nikki declared, dramatically pointing to the ceiling.

"Nikki, there is NOTHING HERE." Max growled, before grabbing my wrist and leading us away.

Soon, we found ourselves in the library. Neil was standing on the stone part of the floor that lead to the secret lab. He'd definitely enjoy getting there.

Not.

At least not the lab he was about to go into.

"Hey Neil, stand still for a second." I commanded. He looked at me weirdly, but stood still.

I walked up to the stone bust of Campbell and stared at Neil, pulling the arm down. I smirked as the wall suddenly turned, sealing him into the lab. The others looked at me in awe.

"NEIL!" Nikki screamed, running up to the wall he disappeared behind and pounded on it with her fists.

Max turned to me. "The hell did you do?!"

"You'll see." I vaguely replied, making him arch an eyebrow at me. God, I wanted to rip his eyebrows off. They were so... awful looking.

From behind the wall, Neil called out to us.

"Oh my God! You have to get in here, quick!" he yelled in excitement. I smirked even more and slammed my body against the wall, causing it to turn and allowing us to enter.

"Neil! What is it?!" Nikki interrogated. Neil was shining his flashlight onto a table full of beakers, gradulated cylinders, and other sciencey things.

"It's... beautiful..." he gushed, eyes sparkling, "A lab! Do you know how long it's been since I was in a real lab? This is where I wanted to be this summer! Oh, my sweet science..."

I checked out the shelves around us, and sighed. Campbell still had those disgusting mutated experiments?

"Uhh, I don't think you're gonna want to stay in here long, Neil." I warned, staring at a rat with an enlarged brain. It breathed onto the glass and wrote "Kill me" in the fog left behind. I gave it an apologetic shrug, making it slump in sadness.

"Weird science, more like." Max butted in, "Check it." He then flipped a lightswitch on the wall, bringing everything into light.

"Oh, that's much-" Neil cut himself off, seeing all the experiments. Everyone but Max and I screamed again. Max looked at me questionably.

"How come you're not shitting yourself?" he asked, "Have you been in here before?"

"Yeah. I've seen every little part of this mansion. I know the ups and downs of this place, and what happens in every corner." I replied, giving him a spooky side-eye. "I recommend you turn back now. There's a dungeon in this mansion and I'm sure seeing what happens in there will fucking destroy you."

Max scoffed. "Whatever."

"ALRIGHT! THAT'S IT! I'M DONE!" Neil exploded, running into me and stuffing his face into my stomach. I awkwardly patted his head, attempting to calm him down.

"You can't go yet! You still have to rid the island of the EVIL!" Jasper interjected, grabbing my arm in fear. I seem to be the go-to source of comfort. That's fair, I guess.

"Yeah, c'mon Neil! Shake it off! Don't lose your sense of ADVENTURE!" Nikki urged, twirling a scalpel around.

"I AM NOT ABOUT THIS SHIT, NIKKI!" Neil screamed, pulling his face out of my stomach and gesturing to the horror around us, "SCIENCE HAS ITS LIMITS!"

"Don't be so naive. This is mild experimentation at best. You have any idea what goes into fast food?" Max sneered. Behind him, another godforsaken creature sloshed around in it's confinement. Max gestured to it. "Probably that."

Suddenly, from the stairway that lead to the dungeon, there was more moaning and wailing that could be heard. I peeked around the corner, and checked out the mess. There was hair and blood on the floor by the archway that lead down the stairs, which was filled with an ominous red glow.

Nikki gasped. "The tormented souls of the dearly departed! And look! A trail of hair and blood!"

"WHO CARES?!" Max seethed, "It's just going to be a wounded dog or some other coincidental, colossal waste of time!"

"You're just scaaaared!" Nikki teased, before running down the stairs. I sighed and facepalmed. This wasn't going to end well.

"I am NOT scared! I feel like we've established this by now." Max angrily replied, following her. Neil and Jasper looked at me, not knowing what to do. I sighed again.

"Guess we're going down with them. I recommend covering your eyes, by the way." I cautioned, leading the two down the spiral stone stairway.

"Max is scaaared! Max is scaaared! Max is scaaared!" Nikki chanted all the way down the stairs. She wasn't prepared for what was on the other end of that door. I cut in front of her, and blocked it.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Max asked, angrily clenching his fists. I looked to the door and back to the kids in front of me.

"You don't want to see what's behind these two doors. I'm telling you, you're gonna get scarred for life." I cautioned.

"W-what do you mean?" Neil asked, "I'm already scarred for life from that room up there! Might as well add on to the pile of horror."

"Yeah! Who cares if it scars us? We WILL find out what's happening here!" Nikki dared, trying to pull me away from the door by my arm.

"Are you SURE you want to go through this door? Seriously, there's some fucked up shit in here. I know. I already saw it." I challenged. Max had the nerve to kick me in the shins.

"YES! WE WANT TO GO THROUGH! LET US IN ALREADY!" Max screamed in anguish. I held my shin in pain and gave the boy a death-glare, which made him back up a bit.

"... Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you, dickhead."

And with that I opened the door.

Everyone stared in horror except for Max and I. However, I could hear his heart beating faster by the second. I cringed at Nikki's fear-stricken face.

We were in the torture chamber. There was blood everywhere, as well as torture devices, which was also covered in blood. It was scary, to say the least. At least to the kids it was.

"Oh Jesus fucking lord..." Neil muttered to himself in sheer terror.

"Welp! We made it, Nikki! Are you happy now?!" Max sarcastically cheered.

"IDon'tWannaBeHere..." Nikki squeaked out. I gently pulled her in for a hug, which she gratefully accepted.

"You know what? On second thought, maybe the evil's unstoppable." Jasper nervously chuckled, "We should all go home. We could... play some pogs! Forget this ever happened!" Neil rapidly nodded his head in agreement. And suddenly, I was covered in fear-stricken children. Nikki was still hugging me, face in my stomach, Jasper had me in a side-hug on my left, and Neil had a death-grip on my right arm.

"Oh no! We have to find ghosts and monsters, remember?!" Max angrily teased.

"IDon'tWannaBeHere..." Nikki mumbled into my sweatshirt, gripping the cloth like it was a lifeline.

"Max, come on! This is way too spooky!" Neil cried, tightening his grip on my arm. It was starting to go numb, but I let it happen.

"No, it isn't. You know what this is? Proof that the founder of Camp Campbell is a rich piece of shit with terrible morals, and who also potentially kills people!" Max paused to look around for a second. "ALL THINGS I WAS ALREADY PRETTY SURE OF!"

"IDon'tWannaBeHere..."

"BUT THE MONSTER! THE WAILS! YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN THAT!" Neil shouted at Max, trying to convince him.

"A-actually-" Jasper and I were cut off by more wailing. Everyone screamed again.

"THE HELL I CAN'T!" Max exclaimed, walking towards the new door in front of us. I grabbed onto his hoodie.

"MAX, DON'T DO THIS! SERIOUSLY!" I yelled desperately.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Neil wailed.

"WAIT!" Jasper screamed.

Max tore himself out of my grip and put his hand on the handle. "There is no such things as monsters! There is no such things as ghosts! And there is NOTHING. TO BE. AFRAID OF!" He yelled at us, before pushing open the door.

"DON'T!" Jasper and I screamed at the same time.

But it was too late.

The image of old kinky people having sex had already hit him.

Quartermaster, one of the partakers of the orgy, lifted up his hand, which was now a dildo.

"I WARNED YOUUUU, CHIIIILD!" he bellowed, his nipple ring glinting.

And with that, Max screamed.

As Jasper lead the kids out to the boat, Quartermaster was about to follow. I stopped him.

"How about... I take them back? You just keep doing... whatever it is... you're doing..." I suggested, doing my best to avoid looking at his nipple ring, or even worse, what was below his torso. He stared at me for a second before nodding.

"Sure thing."

"O-Okay... have a good... rest of your... night...." I awkwardly said as I departed and walked up the stairs. The Quartermaster just hummed in response, and sealed himself away once again in the sex dungeon. I silently made my way back, retracing my steps through the mansion. My mind was being flooded by memories with each room I came across. Soon, I was back with the kids, who were sitting in the boat. They were all staring blankly and holding themselves. They were obviously scarred for life. I sighed and got into the boat, grabbing the paddles.

"...I told you guys that you would get scarred for life."

"Shut the fuck up, F/N."


	7. F/N punches someone for a good cause

F/N’s POV

I sighed in boredom as David lectured everyone. We had been doing activities all week, all based on certain camps.

“TGIF, kiddos! Boy, has it been a week!” David beamed, “Monday, we went base-jumping for Ered’s extreme sports camp, Tuesday, we froze Harrison alive for Magic camp, Wednesday was a double-whammy for Arts and Performance, and all of these hilarious props and gags are courtesy of Thursday’s Visual Comedy Camp!”

“Thursday’s over, Scotty. Go back to your tent.” Max barked at the red haired boy. Scotty honked his horn sadly, turning away. I arched an eyebrow at Max, making him avoid eye contact.

“So, Gwen, which camper are we focusing on to wrap up the week?” David asked, peeking at the clipboard the brunette woman held. She scanned it for a second, before tensing up in fear.

“Oh no.” she muttered, rereading the text to make sure it was correct.

“Come on, co-counselor, who’s it gonna be?” David beamed, urging Gwen to reveal the camper we’d be focusing on for the rest of the day. I had a strong feeling in my gut it was going to be a certain red-dead camper, the biggest bully of Camp Campbell.

“It’s… Nurf.” she announced, pointing at the large boy in horror. Nurf was busy socking Space Kid’s helmet, successfully cracking it.

“Breach!” Space Kid screamed from the inside of his now broken helmet.

“Knew it.” I muttered to myself, gently rubbing the hilt of my knife in my pocket. I didn’t trust Nurf at all. It’s only been a week since I’ve been enrolled into this camp and he’s already tried stabbing me.

“Oh dear… Nurf’s… camp?” David reluctantly questioned, holding himself with his arms.

“What camp did Nurf sign up for…?” Neil asked. I decided to step up so Gwen could save her breath.

“His parents signed him up for behavioral correction camp.” I answered, “It’s because of his violent behaviors like the one he just showed with Space Kid.”

“S-so… Boot camp…” David squeaked, quivering in fear.

“FUCK YEAH! Scare me straight!” Nurf bellowed, standing on top of Space Kid’s helmet, “In all seriousness though, if I don’t see definitive results, I’m contacting my parents.”

“I-I don’t-” David was cut off by Nurf’s… colorful language.

“AND DON’T BE A FUCKING FA- *Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*”

“Oh yikes…” I whispered, plugging my ears. I already knew all the words that were coming out of Nurf’s mouth, but I didn’t want to hear the majority of them. Max sympathetically patted my back as everyone gave each other the, what I like to call, “Holy shit is this kid okay” stare.

“*eeeeeeeeeeeep* -or I’ll tell them you touched me!” Nurf snarkily finished. We all stared at him in shock.

“I think… I’m gonna go take a nap or something…” I quietly announced. I was about to walk away to my tent, but I was grabbed by my hoodie by Gwen.

“Ooooh no you don’t. We might need your help for this one.” she whispered into my ear, making me sigh in resentment.

“Okay, fine. But I’m not helping another camper out unless I feel like it for the whole weekend, and I get extra dessert.” I whispered back.

“Fine, fine, okay. Deal.”  
  


David and Gwen were having a discussion in the Counselor’s office that I was forced to take part in, since I was apparently the “most mature” and “best at advice.” Max was chilling in the room too, standing by the chalkboard and watching things go down. David was currently pacing anxiously, and Gwen had her hands on her hips, obviously trying to stay strong.

“Right. We knew this day would come.” Gwen began.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Gwen!” David cried, still pacing, “Camp is supposed to be about learning, and… having fun!”

“Well we’re gonna learn that little shit some MANNERS, David, because we are contractually obligated to!” Gwen roared, before her voice became small. “I am NOT moving back in with my parents.”

David began to whine. “But I’m not tough enough to run a boot camp!”

I walked up to Max.

“Scratch the board.” I whispered, and he smirked.

“My pleasure.” he replied, pulling out the Quartermaster’s hook hand and running it across the chalkboard, making an awful screeching sound that definitely caught the counselors’ attention. Max and I looked at each other and snickered, both thinking the same thing.

“Thanks for the hand, QM. Pun intended.” I said smirking, and handed the hook hand to its rightful owner.

“Mmhmm.”

Max walked up to the two stressed adults, and I casually leaned on the chalkboard, watching things play out.

“YOU may not be tough enough to run a boot camp, David, but F/N and I can teach you.” Max smirked, gesturing to himself and I.

“Teach me?” David questioned.

Max nodded. “Oh yeah. Teach you how to be MEAN! How to be HARD! How to keep kids like Nurf out there from walking all over you! After all, there’s only one camper at Camp Campbell worse than him, and it’s ME. And F/N, while she’s not bad at all, she’s DEFINITELY hard enough to stand her ground. A perfect role model in this situation.”

Gwen narrowed her eyes at us. “What do you want?”

Max and I looked at each other. We already discussed this earlier before we were dragged in the office. I looked up at Gwen.

“Double dessert, no activities for a week, and David’s social security number. For Max, at least. I’m cool with just extra dessert and not being forced to help campers.”

“Done.” Gwen immediately replied, making David’s eyes widen in betrayal.

“Gwen!” he cried out.

“SHUT UP, DAVID!” she harshly barked back, earning a meek “Okay…” from David. I rolled my eyes.

“You see David, THIS is your problem!” I pointed out.

“Yeah! You can’t just back down the moment someone gets in your face, idiot!” Max added, stomping his foot.

“Yeah! You gotta stand up for yourself!” Gwen chimed in, before taking David by the shoulders and shaking him, “I can’t do this alone, which means you’ve got to pull yourself together!”

After recovering from his dizziness, David’s eyes got bright. “Gosh darnit, you’re right, Gwen. Today’s the day I get hard!” the emotional redhead announced, making me cringe at the hidden innuendo.

“Okay, how about we phrase that a bit differently…?” I suggested, tugging on the sleeves of my hoodie.

“Oh no! Rule number 1, no backing down!” David declared, “Look out world! I’m hard and I’m coming!”

I sighed and stuffed my face in my hands, my face burning in embarrassment. God, David was a fucking IDIOT.

“Whether he likes it or not, Nurf is gonna let me in!” David finished, kicking open the door with a small “Owie…” after.

Max, Gwen, and I looked at each other.

“... So does he wanna help Nurf, or fuck him?” Max asked. My face got even redder.

“Ugh. Let’s just get this shit over with so I won’t have to hear David say anything like that ever again.” I blurted, covering my cheeks with my collar. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s sexual innuendos.  
  


Outside, Nurf was repeatedly stabbing a tree. Max and I followed him to make sure he didn’t embarrass himself any further.

“Alrighty Nurf, it’s high time we whipped you into shape! Uhh, Sonny!” the ginger announced, trying to look intimidating. I facepalmed.

“This is gonna end badly.” I predicted.

“Yeah, probably.” Max agreed.

David continued his “lecture”. “Now, I’m confiscating that pocket knife.” he ordered, sticking out his hand.

“Oh shit, yep, I was right. He’s gonna get stabbed.” I muttered to myself, slightly panicked. I didn’t want David to get stabbed. While he was a moron, we was still a nice guy. I got in an offensive position, getting ready to get David out of there if things went too far South.

Nurf turned to face David and stared at him, eyes going from his face, to his outstretched hand to his face again.

“Uh oh. Max, go tell Gwen to get the first aid kit.” I ordered, tensing up. Max looked at me in confusion.

“Why should I-” Max was cut off by David’s scream of pain. Just like I predicted, Nurf stabbed him in the hand.

“THAT’S why.” I replied, before sprinting towards the duo. Nurf was about to take the knife out of David’s hand to stab him again, but I smacked his hand away just in time.

“Yo, don’t fuckin do that.” I muttered to Nurf, grabbing David’s good hand and dragging him away.  
  


I was sitting next to David in the infirmary, holding the knife Nurf used to stab David as he sobbed and cried out in pain. Gwen was wrapping his hand, and Max was just standing there, waiting for Gwen to finish.

“You’re pathetic.” Max growled.

“And getting blood on my boots.” Gwen added on.

“Honestly, what were you thinking, just ordering Nurf around and leaving yourself open to be attacked like that? It’s Nurf! You gotta be prepared for anything violent around him!” I finished for everyone.

David choked down his sobs and sniffed. “Guys, I just don’t know if this whole ‘tough guy’ technique is going to work. What if we just, I don’t know, give him a hug? Those always make me feel better!” he ranted.

“NO HUGS!” Max roared, jumping up next to David and slapping him across the face. I looked at him weirdly. That was a bit too much, even for Max.

“You’ve just got to change your perspective on life. Tell me, how do you feel about your co-counselor, Gwen?” Max continued. Oh boy, this wasn’t going to end well. Again.

David sniffed. “Well, she’s smart, she helps me run activities…”

“No, no! You’re being positive again! Gwen’s the fucking worst!” Max raged.

“Max, I don’t think this is-” I was cut off by Max continuing his little tantrum.

“She slacks off, reads garbage, and has no idea what she’s doing with her life!”

Gwen began to seethe. “What.” she glared, that singular word dripping venom as she harshly tugged and ripped the tape that was wrapped around David’s hand, making him yelp in pain.

“There’s no time-travelling doctor coming to save you, Gwen! Get your shit together!” Max finished, making Gwen cry and run off.

“I just want to have his british babies!” she sobbed before she disappeared.

I tugged on Max’s hood. “Cool your jets a bit, Max. You’re getting red in the face from your temper tantrum again.” I advised, making the boy glare at me hatefully, but he didn’t object.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “David, this whole ‘friendship and rainbows’ technique, not gonna lie, is gonna get you killed when you’re dealing with someone like Nurf. He has mental violence issues, not a little scratch on his knee where his momma can ‘kiss it better’ or some mushy garbage like that.” I scolded, angrily grabbing onto his collar and pulling his face towards mine. “Now? You gotta switch from that ‘kindness is always the answer’ mother persona to the ex convict who will NOT take shit from anybody! Do NOT let that little red-head motherfucker get to you! Call him out on his bullshit! Make him guilty!”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Max grinning at my explanation.

“Now, it’s your turn.” he grinned at David, a mischievous gleam in his eye.  
  


Nurf was sitting on the pier, sitting next to a kitten. He gently pet the soft animal…

Before casting it into the water on a fishing pole. I felt my soul cringe and seethe in rage. This was animal abuse.

David, Max and I came up behind the deranged boy. I nudged David, letting him know it was time. He glanced at me in nervousness, but nodded. His face turned to one of determination and fury.

“Nurf! I’ve got a bone to pick with you!” David began, stomping up till he was right behind the heavy-set boy.

“Let him have it!” Max and I cheered, elbowing the man.

“Now this may sound harsh, but gosh darnit, I DON’T THINK YOU’RE VERY NICE! In fact, I’d go as far as to say, YOU’RE MEAN!” David continued. Oh God, we’re gonna have another repeat of last time. I made sure that I still had Nurf’s knife. It was still in my pocket, making me sigh in relief. At least no real harm could be done again.

“Okay, let’s dig a little deeper there, idiot.” Max urged.

“Right! I know that’s probably hard to hear!” David addressed.

“No…” Max and I disagreed.

“And may have even been a little too far!” David confessed.

“Not at all…” I grumbled. I can’t believe David is like this…

“But by golly, It seems to be you’ve never been very polite to anyone!” David kept going, earning an exasperated “God dammit” from Max.

“I just don’t think you’re aware of the impact your behavior is having on other campers! But… you know… if you ARE aware of that, then that is some good self-awareness!” David clarified.

“Okay, now you’re just complimenting him…” Max and I groaned. I facepalmed.

“Max, go get Gwen and the first aid kit please…” I requested.

“Is David gonna get stabbed again?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, fine.” and with that, Max surprisingly walked away.

“So, the tough love approach, huh?” Nurf suddenly butted in, making Max freeze in his tracks to hear what he had to say.

“You know, my Uncle believed in tough love. Turns out child protective services didn’t, though.” Nurf continued. Max, David, and I stared at him in horror.

“...Excuse me?” David said, his sympathetic side revealing itself once again.

“Assuming I’ve always been bad is pretty narrow-minded of you, David. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I’m just a product of a judgemental, overprotective society?” Nurf kept going.

“Uh-”

“I mean, you chew ONE pop tart into the shape of a gun… and BAM! In-school suspension! Suddenly, you’re labelled a problem child. ‘You’re not like the other kids. You’re bad.’ So then you get sent to a place where other kids perpetuate the same mentality, making you worse, so that by the time you return to normal school life, you actually are bad. Thus, continuing the cycle of crime and punishment, until all that’s left is a little boy. A little boy who only believes he can be what the world tells him he is. A loser. A lost cause. A bully.” Nurf ended his spiel, leaving Max and I speechless. And suddenly, a swarm of thoughts and memories swirled around my head.

“Hey, isn’t that F/N L/N?”

“Yeah. She looks awful… I wonder what happened…”

“I heard her dad kicked her mom, her sister, and herself out of their house…”

“Woah, really? That’s wack…”

By the time I had gotten home from school that day, my dad’s words to me were burned into my brain, left as a scar on my heart.

“Disgrace”

“Mistake”

“You’ll be pregnant by the time you’re 15”

“Useless little scumbag”

“Waste of space”

“Puny dumbass”

“Everyone will leave you”

I came home in tears. Since we were kicked out by my dad like the kids at school pointed out, we had barely anything. Just a tiny apartment downtown. My mother, the kindest being on planet Earth, was there by my side immediately. She asked me what was wrong. I told her, and she went silent, before comforting me. She said she’d never leave me or my sister.

“No matter what happens, I’ll always be here with you.”  
  


It’s too bad that she was murdered a year later by him…  
  


I snapped out of my thoughts to the sound of David crying in pain again. He was getting his OTHER hand wrapped, now. Fuck dude, Nurf was one fucked up individual…

“Man, he is… way more fucked up than I thought.” Max said, as if he were reading my thoughts.

“You three are idiots.” Gwen scolded, “Being tough isn’t the same as being an asshole. You guys gotta take this from a more psychological approach.”

I scoffed at Gwen’s insult but didn’t say anything. It was probably true, more or less.

“How do YOU know?” Max asked, trying to catch Gwen off guard. He failed.

“As a matter of fact, I dual-majored in psychology.” she boasted. I suddenly wrapped my head around what she suggested, but decided to keep quiet.

“So you have TWO useless degrees?” Max taunted.

Gwen’s smirk turned into a dissatisfied frown. “Yeah…”

David sniffed, trying to speak. “What are you suggesting?”

“Can I take a guess?” I blurted out, making Gwen look at me funny for a second, but she nodded.

“Okay, I’m guessing we’re gonna find out Nurf’s backstory or whatever you wanna call it, and then psychoanalyze him to find out where his issues are stemming from, and finally tell him ways to solve those issues?” I predicted, causing Gwen, David, and Max to gape at me.

“I… yes, actually. That’s…. Almost exactly what I was gonna say…” Gwen gawked. I sighed. “And I’m gonna assume that because I’ve managed to predict every single outcome like when David was gonna get stabbed and what we’re gonna end up doing, you’re gonna make ME psychoanalyze this kid?”

“... Yes…”

“Ugh, let’s get this over with…”  
  


I watched as Nurf kicked the soccer ball at Nikki’s face, and rolled my eyes.

“I have a feeling this is going to end badly.” I whispered to Max, who just shrugged in response.

“Are you guys ready?” Gwen asked David and I.

“All set!” David replied enthusiastically.

“Yup. Just get him over here already.” I deadpanned. I was getting kind of annoyed by this. Helping people is cool and all, but…

“NURF!” David suddenly shouted at the angry kid. Nurf, turned to us with an annoyed expression, but walked over anyways.

“I think it’s time we all had a little talk.” David addressed, taking his seat on the purple armchair that we, for some reason, had to have outside.

“Oh, so we’re doing the whole Freudian thing now? Everyone wants to fuck their own mom. Get over it.” Nurf raged, clenching his fists. David whimpered in fear, but kept his guard up when I gave him a reassuring pat on the arm and Gwen whispered “Be strong” into his ear.

David took a deep breath. “Nurf, we feel as though you have a relatively strong grasp on the events that have lead to your negative behavior, and we wanted to walk through them with you together, in the hopes of finding a solution. This isn’t going to be easy, but we think- PUT THE KNIFE DOWN!” David suddenly demanded. Nurf looked at him, and reluctantly listened, allowing poor Harrison to escape. I quickly picked up his wallet to give back to him later.

“-but we think that this is the only way we’re going to get to the root of your issues. So Nurf, what do ya say?” David calmly finished.

Nurf stared at all of us. When his eyes landed on me, I gave him a soft reassuring smile. This seemed to compel him to sit on the other chair we had out. David smiled in glee, seeing that Nurf was cooperating.

“Well… I think it all started when I joined the ballet.” Nurf began.

And so I began my journey through Nurf’s mind and memories.

A few hours later, we were done. I had a fairly detailed psychoanalysis on my mind, and I told Nurf about it.

“So really, all these behavioral problems seem to be stemming from a vast variety of issues, but what’s truly important is that I don’t allow society’s labels to define who I am. That choice belongs to me, and me alone. And I think I finally understand that.” Nurf summarized. I grinned and nudged the boy gently with my elbow.

“Yeah! I think you got it!” I praised, sitting down next to Max on the ground.

David was in happy tears. “I think so too, Nurf. So, what are you going to do now?”

We all awaited his answer patiently, as his eyes started glowing with happiness.

But that was cut short.

“STAB MY DAD!” Nurf answered, pulling out ANOTHER pocket knife.

“NO! WHAT? WHY?!” David questioned, obviously feeling more threatened by the minute.

Nurf shrugged. “I don’t know! To break the cycle?! What do you expect? I’m just a kid!” Suddenly, Nurf held up the knife. “Eat my farts, butt-nut! HYAH!” and with that he threw the knife at David’s head, who luckily managed to dodge the blade.

“ALL THAT FOR FUCKING NOTHING?!?” I raged, gripping my hair. Nurf was now on a rampage, chasing campers with knives. Where the hell did he get so many knives?!

“JESUS! WHAT DO WE DO?!” Gwen yelled, distraught.

“AND WHERE DOES HE KEEP GETTING KNIVES?!” Max added.

Suddenly, David stood up. “Gosh Darnit! We are going to do things MY WAY! With aggressive pacifism!”

I looked up from my mental breakdown in horror. “DAVID! DON’T!” I screamed, running after the man.

“WAIT NURF! STOP!” David pleaded, running towards the boy. Nurf, who was harassing Nerris, turned around with rage written all over his face.

“NO! I’M DONE TALKING! MY EMOTIONS CAN ONLY BE EXPRESSED THROUGH SADISTIC TENDENCIES!” he screamed in anguish, holding up another knife. But David kept running.

“I DON’T WANT TO TALK, OR SHOUT, OR ANY OF THAT! I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A HUG!” he yelled, and outspread his arms. “COME HERE, LITTLE GUY!”

“DAVID!!” I screamed, running full force towards the two. Suddenly, David tripped over the soccer ball, landing face down right in front of an angry, bloodthirsty, and vengeful Nurf. The boy laughed sadistically, holding up the knife and preparing to stab David, who was trying to sit up and shake off the fall. Just as Nurf was about to send the knife through David’s skull, I reached the two and smacked the knife out of his hand, sending it flying, before squeezing my eyes shut in regret and throwing a fist as hard as I could. A loud crack could be heard, followed by a thud, and everyone gasping.

I slowly cracked open one eye to see Nurf sitting on the ground, holding his jaw. He stared off into space for a second, before he was back in reality. He shakily stood up, still holding his jaw.

“Shit- Nurf, I’m really sorry! Are you okay? I-it just looked like you were about to MURDER David and I-” My apology was cut off by the boy.

“That… really hurt… Jeez, I can’t believe I’ve been subjecting people to physical violence like this… I feel kind of bad about my behavior.”

David and I gaped at the boy.

“...What?” I managed to choke out, despite the fact I was in mental shock. Nurf apologetically looked at me.

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna go sit down in my tent, and… think about what I did today… Sorry everybody.” Nurf apologized, before walking away. I stared at my fist in horror.

“I… I guess you… did it… F/N. Good… job?” Gwen half-praised, half-questioned. David was staring at me, a look in his eye that I couldn’t explain.

“B-but-” I stammered, “that’s not right- It’s not supposed to work like this-”

“Hey F/N, David…” Nurf suddenly called out, snapping both of us out of our shock. David and I looked at him questionably.

“... Thanks for everything.” he finished, before walking away.

“No… WAIT! We need to talk about this!!” David called after Nurf, gripping my arm with a titanium fist. “THIS IS NOT OKAY!” he yelled. It was supposed to be for Nurf, but his eyes were on me, making me flinch. I was in so much trouble.

“Nah, man, I’m good.” Nurf answered to David’s rejections, “I’m gonna tell everyone about how you two helped me today. Goodbye friends!” and with that, Nurf finally left, as well as the other campers except Max. Said camper walked up to us, and looked around, a dazed look on his face.

“Well. I guess it turns out at the end of the day… Sometimes you just gotta hit kids.” He commented before walking off, leaving David and I alone in the campground.

“...I want to say I’m disappointed in you for resorting to violence, but…” David muttered to me, “If you hadn’t rushed in, I’d probably be either dead, or in the hospital…”

“...I guess…” I shakily replied.

“...”

“...”

“I’m hurting your arm, aren't I…”

“Yeah. Please let go.”

“Okay…”


	8. F/N notes by David and Gwen!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is updated the more David and Gwen learn about the reader. I'll try to put an updated version every few chapters or after some emotional ones. Also, these notes are written by DAVID and GWEN'S PERSPECTIVE. In other words, they're supposed to look like they're written by David and Gwen themselves. If you can tell who's writing, then congratulations! That's some good awareness you've got there! Anyways, back to the story.

Okay, so these are notes about a certain camper here at Camp Campbell for  _ **RESEARCH PURPOSES**   **ONLY!!**_ These notes aren't being used to hurt or manipulate campers, only to get to know said camper. These notes will be a summary of traits, background information, and things like that.

Traits

Carefree- F/N doesn't seem to worry much, and just lets things play out. It's often that they can be found doing their own thing, despite what other campers think.

Analytical- F/N seems to know exactly what's going to happen with campers, especially their reactions to things. They're able to figure out just about anything about anyone if given time.

Reckless- They're quick to throw themselves into harm's way, especially if someone's in danger. On top of that, they don't really seem to care about their health much.

Space Cadet- F/N spaces out. A lot. It's hard to keep a conversation with them going, and they switch from topic to topic if you manage to keep up a conversation. They also space out when digesting information, it seems.

Motherly/Responsible- F/N seems to have a complex of babying and helping the campers if they're having troubles. This makes her reliable and responsible. Both Gwen and I are able to leave the camp at the same time and come back without any trouble because of her!

Mature- She's very mature and smart for her age! Even us counselors are able to receive great advice from her!

Reserved- F/N is actually pretty shy for someone who likes to help others. If it gets too loud or too crowded in an area, she'll leave and come back when it's less full. She also likes to hide things, even if it's something small like a neat drawing. Also, fun fact: F/N is REALLY good at drawing! Also, F/N is a fan of nearly pure solitude. She doesn't eat in the Mess Hall very often, and eats in her own tent instead.

Neutral- F/N doesn't like getting in the way of others. She only steps in if she thinks someone's doing something completely wrong, or she's being told to do something. This makes her an amazing mediator without any form of bias whatsoever.

Hobbies!

Drawing

Taking Nature walks!

Sleeping

Throwing campers into the lake

Background

We have no idea how old she is, but with her physical appearance, she's probably 14 or 15

Parents often absent for business trips

Relationships

Max- Good friend (surprisingly)

Nikki- Good friend

Neil- Good friend

Nurf- friend

Dolph- friend

Ered- close acquaintance

Nerris- close acquaintance

David- close acquaintance :(

Gwen- close acquaintance


	9. F/N + Woodscouts = Absolute hatred and chaos

David's POV

"-And I think we're done for today, Gwen!" I sighed in satisfaction, putting the pencil back into the desk cup, "Golly, it was a great idea to take notes on F/N! What could go wrong?"

Gwen watched me as I put the lined paper on the counselor clipboard, before hanging the clipboard on its rightful place on the wall. "Yeah, hopefully. With such a complex individual, it's smart to write things down to remember them. Let's hope the other campers don't find it though, or there's gonna be hell..." she replied, shuffling through the folders.

I chuckled. "Oh Gwen, the campers know they're not allowed in here unless we say otherwise. Plus, we carry around that clipboard all day! There's no way they'll find the notes if they're with us at all times." I reasoned, gently patting her back.

"I guess..." Gwen sighed, before slipping into her bed, "Oh shit, tomorrow is that stupid Camporee, isn't it..."

I scoffed at her, sitting on my bed. "Oh come on, Gwen! It's a day where all the camps come together and have some competitive fun! What's so bad about it?" I asked, making Gwen glare at me from her bed.

"I hate the Camporee because all the campers from every camp are a bunch of little shits, and I can barely stand them. Especially that Pikeman kid. Ugh." she shuddered, probably recalling the many times he "flirted" with her, which was really just him thirsting over and harassing her.

"Well, I have a great feeling about this year! We have not 2, not 4, but THREE new campers who can strut their stuff and show everyone how great they are!" I gushed, thinking about Neil, Nikki, and F/N. I wonder what other talents they hold? "Besides, if that Pikeman kid gets too close, I'm sure he'll leave if you tell him to leave you alone."

"God, I hope so. Now could you quiet down? I need to sleep." Gwen requested, shoving her face into her pillow.

"Okay!"

The next morning, after the other camps were done setting up their challenges, my campers began to wake up. They were currently in the Mess Hall, so I took out my trumpet and played a traditional wake up call, effectively making the campers come outside to see what all the ruckus was about.

"Good morning, children! Guess who's got two thumbs, diplomatic immunity, and is here to host the annual Camp Lilac CAMPOREE!" Mr. Campbell announced, before pointing to himself, "THIS GUY!"

All of the campers just stood there in awe, nothing but exhaustion on their faces.

"...So do we get breakfast, or..." Nikki asked.

After all the campers from every camp ate breakfast, we made our way outside again. I was standing next to a tired and annoyed Gwen while Mr. Campbell spoke to the kids again.

"The Lake Lilac Camporee is today! And that means you little rascals will be competing in a series of 15 events!" he informed, "All of which will be submitted by the participating summer camps." He gestured to the Wood Scouts and the Flower Scouts.

"The first 5 will be brought to us by Flower Scout troop 789!"

The 3 representatives for said camp curtsied.

"The next 5 submitted by our neighbors, the Wood Scouts!" Mr. Campbell continued. Pikeman and the other representatives smirked.

"And the remaining 5 presented by my very own Campbell Campers!" he finished, gesturing to Space kid who was standing the wrong way, Ered who had her arms casually crossed, Nikki who was scanning the groups, Max who was grumping like usual, Neil who was looking around nervously, and F/N who had a humorous smirk on her face. She whispered something to Max, Neil, and Nikki, who snickered in response. I walked up to them with Gwen as the groups dispersed.

Max, F/N, and Neil looked up at us.

"David, what the hell! No one told us about this!" Max complained, slumping his shoulders in defiance.

"We've literally been telling you about it everyday for weeks." Gwen matter-of-factly stated, her eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

Neil inserted himself in the conversation. "Yeah, but we never listen to you guys! Put up flyers or something." he suggested, and F/N scoffed.

"You guys are lucky I'm even participating. From what I can tell, these challenges are gonna be a useless, stale piece of cake. Why is there even a Camporee anyways?" she growled, face glowering.

Before I could answer, one of the Flower Scouts raised a hand. It was the one with the pink eyes and coral hair. "So liiike, what do we get if we win?" she asked.

"Great question, little Sally!" Campbell began.

"Sasha." she corrected.

"Whatever. We brought in a panel of three unbiased judges, all of whom are more than qualified to score your performances" Campbell answered, gesturing to a table with three men.

I stepped in, standing next to Mr. Campbell. "The troop with the highest score at the end of the day will go home with the coveted Camporee trophy," I clarified, holding up the wooden treasure, "a year's supply of s'mores, and have their picture featured on the front page of the Sleepy Peak Times metropolitan section!"

F/N stared at me in confusion. "That's it? I thought the winner would get a fuck ton of money, or something... Also, what the fuck is a s'more..."

I blinked at her worriedly, but Max and Neil's conversation caught my attention.

"Well, don't care about that shit." Max commented.

"You wanna throw this whole thing and go roast ants with a magnifying glass?" Neil asked, and Max smiled, putting a hand on this shoulder.

"That's what I like about you, Neil. You get me. C'mon, F/N, let's blow this popsicle stand."

Suddenly, Pikeman cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. He walked over to F/N and slung an arm around her shoulder, making her tense up in confusion and discomfort.

"Excuse me, Mr. Campbell. Might I suggest we raise the stakes?" he suggested, that evil smirk still on his zit-covered face.

"Pikeman! What do you have in mind, sport?" Campbell replied, putting his hands on his hips.

"If Troop 818 wins this year's Camporee, Camp Campbell will surrender its grounds and campers to the Wood Scouts." Pikeman coaxed, pulling F/N closer. She cringed, and took a couple baby steps away.

"Personal space, yo..." she muttered, obviously holding back the urge to punch him. I couldn't blame her.

"Also, I'm pretty sure that's illegal. You'd need to pay for the whole thing, get the paperwork..." F/N continued, desperately trying to push the ginger boy's arm off her shoulder.

I scoffed at Pikeman. "That is ridic-"

I was cut off by Mr. Campbell. "Hmm... and what if we win?" he asked, and I stared at him in awe and horror. Gwen ran over, her face slack-jawed.

"Sir, you can't possibly-" Pikeman cut off her sentence.

"We hand over all earnings from our yearly popcorn sales." he answered, that sly grin still on his face. His hand was now around F/N's waist, and she looked at him like he was insane; which he was.

"That's it?! Are you fucking kidding me?" she objected, clenching her fists, "You're just gonna let-"

Campbell cut her off by shoving her aside and leaning into Pikeman's face, making her fall onto her back on the ground. I quickly ran over and helped her up.

"Darn it, Teddy, you KNOW I've got a crippling gambling addiction!" Campbell roared in Pikeman's fear stricken face, before grinning. "So of COURSE we accept!" he grabbed Pikeman's hand and shook it.

"WHAT?!" Gwen, F/N and I gasped at the same time in disbelief.

"Let's Campe Diem!" Mr. Campbell laughed joyously, doing the signature Camp Campbell hand signal.

Gwen and I looked at F/N, who was staring at Mr. Campbell with absolutely no expression. However, I still had a hand on her back from helping her up, and I could feel her shaking with nothing but complete, incomparable rage. I glanced at Gwen in worry, and she did the same thing back. Suddenly F/N stormed off, but yelled something at the other campers.

"ALRIGHT FUCKERS, GATHER 'ROUND!"

Gwen and I looked at each other again, then back at F/N and gulped.

This was gonna he a hard day for sure.

I was currently crouched in the circle with the other campers, giving them a pep talk.

"Alright gang, we don't want to end up with the Wood Scouts at the end of the day, so I need you all to work together." I pleaded. F/N was sitting next to me, still internally seething in rage. Max and Neil, surprisingly, were rubbing her back to calm her down. At least it was sort of working...

"It's the only chance we have at winning this thing!" I finished, leaving Max to answer.

"It's a bunch of prissy little girls. How bad can their challenge be?" he sneered, leaning on F/N for balance.

Suddenly, one of the Flower Scouts began to speak.

"Ummm, Excuse meeee~" Sasha announced, catching everyone's attention, "The Flower Scouts' first challenge will be a test of posture and proper walking form."

Max snickered. "Precious."

Suddenly, the red curtain behind them dropped to reveal a death trap: spiked ball chains and bats swinging over a thin platform, over a large vat of some gross, green, bubbling substance.

"We'll start with the beginner's course, as a show of good faith." Sasha said, gesturing to the device. I gulped, and the rest of the campers stared in horror. Except for F/N, who scoffed.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she grumbled, standing up and crossing her arms.

"Now F/N, I know this is scary, but you shouldn't use that kind of la-"

"They call THIS a challenge. Heh. Amateurs." she finished, making everyone turn to her in shock.

"WHAT?!"

The bell dinged, signalling the challenge had begun. I nervously clenched my vest, watching as Space Kid got knocked into the vat. Then Max, who slid under one chain but got knocked off by another, then Nikki who managed to pass with a flip.

Finally it was F/N's turn. She stood on the platform, and stared boredly at the swinging balls of death in front of her before smirking.

"Hey David." she called out, and I turned to her.

"Yes?"

"Blindfold me."

"HUH?!" all of the campers screamed, even Tabii from the Flower Scouts, and Pikeman from the Wood Scouts.

"Uh, I-I'm not sure that's a good idea-" I tried to reason, walking up to her, but suddenly, the "scarf" that I was wearing on my neck disappeared. I felt for it around my neck, but froze when F/N tied it around her eyes.

"F/N, you don't wanna do this!" cried Neil from the crowd of campers that was gathering.

"Hell yeah I do!" F/N replied, foot tapping the platform she was about to walk, as if she was feeling for something. "We need all the points we can get! I am NOT going to become one of the disgraces who are known as the Wood Scouts!"

"Hey! Rude!" Pikeman called out in protest, but was silenced as F/N suddenly slid beneath the first spike, double backflipped over the second one, and rolled movie style beneath the last one, and joined Nikki on the finishing platform. I stared at her in awe as she took off the blindfold and gave it back to me. She looked at the judges, a gleam in her otherwise emotionless face.

They stared at her for a second, before glancing at Max and Space Kid, who were desperately trying to get the green substance off themselves.

The scores were 7, 5, and 6, which meant 18 points for Camp Campbell. Gwen nudged me, staring at F/N like she was a god. "We might actually have a shot at this!" she grinned.

However, the Wood Scouts and the Flower Scouts had a higher score. While Camp Campbell had 18 points, the Wood Scouts had 22 points and the Flower Scouts had 30 points. Once the Wood Scouts and the Flower Scouts were down, I saw Pikeman walk up to F/N.

"You may have fancy acrobatics and a sharp mind, but the rest of your team are a bunch of untalented losers." he jeered, getting into her face and backing her against a tree, "Besides, I think you'll find you belong in the Wood Scouts soon enough."

F/N was silent for a second. "...Whatever you say. Just don't come crying to me when you're entire camp is broke and beaten the fuck up. Now get out of my face you pepperoni skinned, buck-toothed twink. Also, what was your name again? Pigland?" she sneered back, pushing him away with her foot. Pikeman was about to answer when an air horn blared.

"And that's the end of round one!" Mr. Campbell declared.

"Well, it's not like the Flower Scouts can win every other challenge..." Gwen said, as I stared at the scoreboard in fear.

They did. Space Kid's oven exploded for the baking challenge, Nerris's garden died in the gardening challenge, literally nobody knew how to scrapbook except for the Flower Scouts, and Neil got tangled up for ribbon dancing. The only reason we got points was because F/N was kicking ass, and kept the other camps on their toes. By the end of the Flower Scout challenges, we had 68 points, the Wood Scouts had 69 points, and the Flower Scouts had 119 points.

"And that's the end of round 5!" Mr. Campbell announced before clapping, "Let's pick up the pace, campers! I want me some popcorn money!"

He walked over to F/N, who was leaning against the Mess Hall, her face inscrutable.

"Heh, hey there kiddo! You've been kicking some major ass today!" he complimented, leaning next to her on the wall, "Where'd you learn to do gymnastics like that, anyways?"

"None of your business." she mumbled in response, shoving her hands in her pant pockets. Mr. Campbell scanned her, before arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"By the way, I've... never seen you before around here. Who are you?" he asked. I decided this was a good chance for introductions, and I walked up.

"Mr. Campbell, this is F/N, our newest camper, and friend!" I introduced, placing a gentle hand on her her shoulder. Unlike with Pikeman, she didn't freeze up, but only glanced at my hand before ignoring it.

Mr. Campbell grinned, before sticking out a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, F/N! As you probably already know, I'm-"

"Cameron Campbell, richest outdoorsman alive. I know." F/N interrupted, narrowing her eyes at the man. I glared down at her.

"F/N, you should know that it's rude to interrupt people." I scolded, making her scoff and roll her eyes, but she didn't protest. I could understand though. She was on edge because of the Wood Scout threat, and for the most part, she was doing all the work herself.

Mr. Campbell took away his hand and laughed. "Oh, I remember when I was your age. So full of fire." he reminisced. There was an awkward silence before Pikeman suddenly walked up.

"Ah, I can't wait to see you all in Wood Scout uniforms. It's gonna be QUITE a treat." he impishly grinned, his yellow eyes on F/N. From the corner of my eye, I saw her pulling out a weirdly ornate knife from her pocket, death glaring the boy. Trying not to panic, I placed a trembling hand on the one holding the weapon, and gently pushed her hand back in her pocket. She death glared me, but didn't do anything. I sighed in relief.

Suddenly, Max's voice caught my attention.

"Yo. David. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I don't wanna become some fascist, militant peon!" he yelled, tugging on F/N's sweatshirt. She eagerly left my grip and joined Max's posse, which was currently consisting of himself, Neil, Nikki and Dolph.

Speaking of Dolph, he raised his hand, saying "He doesn't speak for all of us."

Max rolled his eyes, before looking up to Gwen and I. "So what's the plan?"

I gave a nervous smile, lightly holding my arms up. "Look kids, I'm telling you! If you just work together and really start trusting one another, you can accomplish anything." I advised. Nikki stomped her foot in protest, cupping her hands around her mouth. "BOO! Give us actual advice!"

Once again, Pikeman decided to open up his brace face, making F/N force herself to calm down once again. "Advice can't save you now, Campbell Campers! Now begins the Wood Scouts' march to glory!"

Later, as Pikeman was explaining the first challenge, F/N was standing next to me. She was sharpening the knife she had with a rock she had found. I didn't dare try to take it from her; she'd probably do more damage than Nurf tried to do the other day for boot camp.

"Maneuvering the treacherous waters of the wilderness is an integral part of survival. Therefore, your first challenge is to row out to spooky island and back." Pikeman explained, gesturing to the island in the distance.

"Ohhh, that's greeeat cardio." Erin commented.

"And low impact." Tabii added.

I nervously looked around. "Uhh, do we have anyone here for rowing camp?" I asked.

"I can do it!" Nikki insisted, jumping up and down excitedly, "Lemme get at them boats!"

"And we already know we need F/N to do her thing, so I guess she'll go too." Max offered for F/N. She gave him a look of annoyance, but shrugged it off and accepted.

Soon, F/N, Neil, and Nikki were in the canoe. Quartermaster fired a gunshot, signalling the challenge had begun. Nikki was trying to control the tempo of rowing, telling her friends when to row, but they ended up going nowhere. So, as the usual now, F/N took charge. She managed to get the boat in second place by the end of the round.

"F/N, nice work! You're doing great!" I gushed at the H/C girl as she got out of the boat. She was soaking wet from Neil not knowing how to correctly paddle.

"Shut up David. It's not over yet. Don't celebrate too early." she muttered, wringing out her weirdly long hair.

The score for round 6 was 97 for Camp Campbell, 99 for the Wood Scouts, and 136 for the Flower Scouts.

Gwen and I stared at the board. Our spirits were beginning to pick up a bit.

"Okay, so we're right behind the Wood Scouts. I think we can do this..." Gwen prayed, "besides, it's not like they can win every other-"

"GWEN YOU'RE JINXING IT!" Harrison yelled from the group.

"Oh dear..." I sighed.

Gwen did jinx it. The Flower Scouts got caught in the barbed wire for the army crawl challenge, Petrol from the Wood Scouts aced the flying target shooting (which Max was surprisingly good at), Neil almost died going off a waterfall in a barrel, F/N did manage to get more points than the Wood Scouts for the extreme rock climbing challenge, but only because Max and Neil rode on her shoulders.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Gwen screamed, looking at the scores. We were at 169, the Flower Scouts were at 192, while the Wood Scouts were at 193. I patted the distressed woman beside me.

"Uh, nothing to worry about, we just uh, y'know, gotta believe in ourselves!" I reassured.

Gwen stared at the ground, expression grim. "Nope, we're boned." she muttered.

Suddenly, Pikeman came up. "Fear not, sweet Gwendolyn. Once you work for the Wood Scouts, the only man you'll have to deal with in your life is me." he cooed. I cringed as he reached his arm out to put around Gwen's waist, but he was headbutted in the stomach by F/N.

"BACK THE FUCK OFF YOU HORNY GINGER!" she roared in complete resentment. Gwen's eye twitched before running off, but not without grabbing F/N by the hood and dragging her along. "OH JESUS CHRIST! CAMPERS, WE ARE WINNING THAT FUCKING TROPHY!" Gwen yelled out, running over to the group.

"Uh, Gwen?!" I called out, running after her. Most of the campers were on the floor, completely exhausted.

"How the hell do we do that?!" Neil protested.

I tried to chime in. "By overcoming our differences and working toge-"

Gwen slapped her hand over my mouth, making me wince in pain. "NO! SHUT UP!"

F/N tiredly stood up, wobbling a bit from being dragged. "So we're not working together?"

"NO! You're all terrible at it! But, we've got something they don't." Gwen declared, and I stared at her in awe.

"Sub par indoor plumbing?" Ered asked, walking up from behind us.

Gwen pointed at all the campers, continuing her speech. "We've got the most bizarre collection of campers with niche talents, and ridiculously specific skill sets Lake Lilac has ever seen!" she yelled, "...And sub par indoor plumbing."

All the kids cheered, and smiled at Gwen in glee, though I was a bit disappointed at the message being given to the campers.

Soon, it was our turn to give the challenges.

"Uhh, what is this?" Sasha asked, pointing at a beaker full of some chemical.

"Round eleven." Neil smirked, "Create a stable batch of Nitroglycerin."

"Wait, what-" Pikeman tried to object, only for his cries to go down with a shot. Literally. Quartermaster fired a gun that signaled the starting of the challenge. "Start sciencing." he grumbled.

I looked at F/N who was enjoying her time off, sitting against a tree and drinking one of the Capri Sun pouches that the Flower Scouts had brought. I decided to join her. She looked at me questionably, taking a sip from her drink, but she gave me a welcoming smile afterwards. We continued to watch the chaos that was happening in front of us.

"Ummm okay, it's just like baking, ladies." Sasha tried to encourage her team. However, Erin accidentally knocked over a beaker with a red liquid inside that completely vaporized the table, rendering the Flower Scouts unable to continue.

With the Wood Scouts, Pikeman was giving orders.

"Nitrogen. Oxygen. No! Petrol-"

Billy put a canister of gasoline next to the Bunsen burner.

"Wait, WAIT-"

And they blew up, causing F/N to choke on her Capri Sun with laughter.

Neil however, had finished his batch, holding it up proudly. "Done!"

Camp Campbell's score went up, while the others got nothing.

Next, it was Harrison's turn.

"Round 12: Illusion!" he announced. Then, he performed his magic bunny trick. The Flower Scouts however, ended up getting their hair eaten by the Camp Campbell mascot, the platypus. Once again, only our score went up.

After that was motorcycle repair by Ered, then destroying the ring of power with Nerris, and finally, Nikki's challenge.

"Round 15..." she began, "Cross-species communication."

The other camps stared at the teal-haired girl in disbelief.

"But... That's impossible!" Pikeman objected. A few yards away, Quartermaster was containing a loud, growling animal in a cage. He lifted up the door, allowing the rabid wolf to escape. The animal charged at Nikki, and I saw F/N shift into a ready position from the corner of my eye. I looked at her in confusion.

"Just in case things go South." she clarified, as if reading my mind.

Just before the animal could attack her, Nikki turned to the wolf and growled and barked, making it back off. Then, she turned to the rival camps and pointed at them.

"Kill!" she said innocently, and the wolf charged, causing them to run around screaming in fear.

By the end of the day, Camp Campbell had won with 207 points.

"Camp Campbell wins!" Mr. Campbell announced, causing all the campers to cheer, and Gwen to wipe her forehead in relief. I walked over to all the campers, F/N following me.

"Well campers, I think we all learned a valuable lesson today." I happily declared.

"Don't ever work together!" Nikki cheered, making me frown in disbelief.

"Uh, no!"

"Yeah, things really seemed to turn around when we just did our own thing!" Neil pointed out.

"But guys, that's a really narrow-minded way of looking at things-" I tried to object, but Max cut me off.

"David." Max said, "No one cares." He dropped the trophy on the ground with a thud, before walking away with the other campers. For some reason, F/N stayed, but I wasn't thinking about that now.

"Great work today, counselors!" Mr. Campbell broke in, putting a hand on the back of Gwen and I, "Thanks to you, I made $50." Gwen's eyes bugged at the small amount of cash we received, before looking sadly at the ground. I looked up at him, feeling kind of annoyed. All of that for only $50?

"Well! Time to get back to Thailand! Apparently they need running water!" Mr. Campbell joked, "I don't get it! You guys are doing just fine!" Then, he walked away.

I looked at Gwen's bleak face, which turned into a grim one.

"I hate this place." she grumbled, before walking away. I felt F/N's presence behind me, and I turned to her. She had a sad smile on her face, but it turned to a gloomy one as she looked at the ground.

"F/N? Are you okay?" I asked the girl, crouching down to her level and putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, concern in her eyes.

"I am, but I think the real question is, are you?"

I froze and stared into her E/C irises, which were scanning my face, looking for a reaction. I felt tears burn behind my eyes, and I abruptly stood up and turned around to blink them away.

I had to be strong. It's what a counselor does for their campers.

"David-" F/N tried to call out, but I cut her off.

"F/N, it's okay. I'm fine." I turned to her when I was sure there were no tears coming. "You can go inside now. The day's done."

"But-"

"F/N, go inside." I ordered, being a bit more harsh than I intended to. She looked at me dejected, before nodding and walking away, leaving me alone. I felt a twinge in my heart. Guilt.

Suddenly, I heard growling, I turned around and was graciously reminded that there was a rabid wolf in the area as said wolf pounced onto me, attacking me. I screamed, trying to push the animal off of me.

"Down! Down, boy! Nice dog!"

Later that night, after patching up the wounds from the wolf and getting a rabies shot, I sat in the counselor's cabin and looked at my cork board of memories, which was covered in photographs from camp.

 _"David. No one cares."_  Max's harsh voice echoed through my head, making me feel even more depressed than I already was feeling at that moment.

_"F/N, are you okay?"_

_"I am, but I think the real question is, are you?"_

I teared up. Max and F/N were almost the exact same, but they had such different viewpoints. Why was it like that?

I took off my 'scarf', which was really my Camp Campbell t-shirt from when I was a young boy. I stared at the faded Camp Campbell logo, and sighed.

"I just don't get it... I loved summer camp as a kid." I reminisced, tying the shirt back around my neck.

"...What changed?"

My eyes wandered to a picture of my younger days. I was standing next to Jasper, happily smiling. Behind us was Mr. Campbell, holding the Sacred Staff of the Sparrow.

I gasped. "That's it!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"The Sparrow!"


	10. Fires

Max's POV

I yawned as I stepped out of my tent with Neil. All around me, my fellow campers were wobbling out of their own tents, all tired as hell like I was.

"Why the hell are we up this early?" I asked to nobody in particular, staring off into space.

Suddenly, a flaming arrow hit the fire pit, successfully setting it ablaze and making Neil whimper in shock. Everyone looked in the direction the arrow came from, to see-

Oh my fucking god.

"Camp Campbell campers!" David's voice cut through the air like a knife through a balloon.

David was shirtless, only wearing some racist looking Native American chief headdress, two stripes of red warpaint beneath his eyes, his trademark yellow scarf, and his usual pants and boots. He was holding a large stick with some bird carving on top, and light blue markings all over it.

Behind him was an annoyed looking Gwen who was wearing her usual counselor outfit, except she also had the warpaint as well as a headband with a feather on it. Next to her was the Quartermaster, who was wearing his usual as well, besides the feather in his hat and a fringed jacket instead of his normal one. His hook hand was replaced with a bow, and he had warpaint as well.

All of them looked fucking ridiculous.

David dramatically raised his hand. "Hau." he announced, and I facepalmed.

"Why."

David continued though, despite how much I wanted to kill myself right at that moment. "I am sure you must be wondering who we are, but have no fear. I-"

"David, what the fuck are you doing?" I asked, raising a hand in anger.

"I am not David!" David replied, "...though... if he were here, he'd tell you to mind your language. I am Chief Squatting Bear!" Behind him, Gwen put her face in her hands, embarrassed for the red-headed dumbass.

Space Kid gullibly wandered over, hands on his helmet in awe. "Oooh, that's awesome." Neil, being the best of us, shoved him and made him fall flat on his face... helmet? No clue, don't care.

"Gwen? Why is David dressed like a turkey?" Nikki asked, holding up a finger. Gwen was now pinching her eyebrows together in discontentment.

"Because he's fucking David, Nikki.You've been here long enough to figure that out."

David leaned over to Gwen. "Gwen! Don't break character!" he scolded, making the girl glare at him. "And I'm not a turkey. I'm an indian chief."

"Like Max?" Neil asked, pointing at me. I looked at him in confusion.

"What? Uh- No!" David replied, "Like the Cherokees! You know..." He then proceeded to make the most racist impression in existence.

"Wow, that is racist." I grumbled, shoving my hands in my hoodie pockets.

"Seriously. Are you offended?" Neil asked.

Suddenly, another flaming arrow was shot, this time at our feet.

"Silence!" Quartermaster yelled, bow hand raised. He turned to David. "Do your thing." the old man muttered, making David shudder in slight fear. "Uh, right."

"We represent the Order of the Sparrow. A secret society that gathers only to honor the most worthy of campers." David clarified.

All of a sudden, groaning and shuffling could be heard from tent 7. F/N emerged, rubbing her temples.

"What the hell is going on? It's too early for this much noise..." she grumbled. I looked her up and down and snickered. She looked awful.

Her H/C hair was a tangled mess, her skin was paler than usual from not eating anything yet, she had huge dark bags beneath her eyes, she was still in her pajamas, and a drool line could be seen on her mouth. Her eyes weren't even open.

"Well rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty." I sarcastically greeted, making her turn towards me, eyes still closed.

"Max, I will throw you into the lake." she threatened with absolutely no emotion to be found.

I put my hands up in defense. "Sorry..."

Suddenly, David decided to speak up. "Sister F/N, we do not threaten our fellow campers here. And for your information since you did not hear, I am Chief Squatting Bear, the leader of the Order of the Sparrow! It's a secret society that honors only the best campers of Camp Campbell!" he clarified for her. F/N only yawned in response. Her eyes were still closed. I wouldn't be surprised if she were falling asleep standing.

"So then what are you doing here?" Nikki asked David, who sighed in response and facepalmed.

"Look guys, the order's been around since I was a camper. It's a huge honor and it's really cool!" he cried out, holding his hands to his bare chest. When was he going to put a shirt on, anyways? It was probably a good thing F/N had her eyes closed.

"I'll believe that when I see it." I sassed, and David leaned into my face, expression stern.

"Oh you will, Max." he bet, "Because today you'll all be given a chance to prove your worth."

"Do we have to?" Harrison whined, throwing his hands up.

"No, but-" David saw all the campers walking away before he changed his mind. "WAIT! Nevermind! It's mandatory!"

Everyone groaned, and F/N began to snore a bit. Damn, she actually fell asleep standing up? Now that's talent.

David put his hands on her shoulders and shook her, successfully making her jolt awake.

"HUH? What? I'm awake!" she yelled, getting into a power stance.

"Buuut," David continued, "Those who are accepted into the order will receive the Ultimate Prize."

At the word prize, everyone perked up. "Huh? There's a prize?" Nikki gasped in excitement.

"What is it?" Neil asked, staring at David heavily.

"Tell us now, Turkeyman!" Dolph suddenly demanded, holding up a fist.

"Yeah, wait, what prize?" Gwen asked. David ran over to her and patted her face.

"All will be revealed at the setting of the sun, Sister Gwen." David said, before turning to the campers. "So, shall we begin?"

"YEAH!" everyone cheered. We all followed the Quartermaster to the front of the Mess Hall, who nailed a sign into the ground. It said:

"LAW OF THE ORDER OF THE SPARROW

DO GOOD EVERY DAY

FACE THE WORLD WITH KINDNESS

LOVE THY NATURE"

F/N scoffed quietly as she peered at the sign. "Oh David... I get what you're trying to do, but..."

"Ugh, this is stupid." I groaned, leaning against F/N.

"Seriously." Neil agreed, "'Do good every day'? That's just bad grammar."

"I think it's 'Do good'. Like a superhero!" Nikki added in.

Dolph perked up, and evilly rubbed his hands together. "I could be the hero this camp deserves..."

"I can be nice! I'm the nicest!" Preston cheered, throwing his hands up in glee.

"Great!" David butted in, leaning on the sign, "Because you all have until sundown to convince me." I felt F/N suddenly cringe behind me, and a tap on my shoulder. I looked up at her with a "Hmm?"

"Has he been shirtless the whole time? Because I've never felt more embarrassed or cringey about a dude before..." she whispered in my ear, and I choked on my laughter.

"Unfortunately, yes." I whispered back, "You should've just gone back to bed."

"God I wish I could..."

Behind David, Gwen was standing there with a stern look, staring at David.

Suddenly, Nikki tackled David to the ground. "David! You know me! You know I love nature! You know if I could I would have BABIES with nature!" she intensely yelled into the poor counselor's face, before smiling, "So do I get my prize now?"

"Calm down, Nikki..." David pleaded.

I smirked at Nikki's idiocy.

"Nikki, I don't think that's what he means by-" F/N's sentence was cut off by Nurf body slamming Nikki off of David's chest.

"Step off!" he yelled, before giving a seemingly kind smile to David. "May I help you up, David?"

David looked at Nurf in horror. "Nurf, that was-" his scolding was interrupted by Nurf.

"A very kind gesture, I know. So can my prize be cigarettes?"

David nervously scooted away from Nurf, only to run into Gwen's legs. He looked up at her with anxiety, and she looked down at him with a doubtful expression.

"You sure this will work?" she asked, and David gave a hesitant smile.

"Uh...Yes."

F/N and I watched the crowd disperse before she crouched down to look at the sign.

"God, the kids have got it all wrong..." she sighed frustratedly, her eyes wandering over the text.

"At least it'll be a fun show to watch play out, right?" I grinned, nudging her in the back with my elbow. "The other campers are gonna go nuts when they find out there's no actual prize." She avoided my gaze, staring at David with a sense of loss as he walked away with Gwen. I arched an eyebrow at her behavior.

"You okay?" I asked, lightly tugging on her crossed arms. She was silent for a moment, still staring in the direction David left. Around us, the light from the rising sun was turning our surroundings gold.

"...I feel really sorry for David. He tries so hard, but..." she spilled.

"Oh come on, F/N. Why feel sorry for him? He's the fucking worst." I said. F/N turned to me, face full of perplexion.

"How is he 'The Worst'? He's just a dude who likes nature and camping and wants to share his love for it with others. How is that bad?" She challenged, E/C orbs full of confusion.

"Ugh, not you too, always vouching for him and his fuck ups." I scolded and facepalmed, "Because of the unnatural amount of hopeless fucking optimism he possesses? Because of the fact that he lives in his own little world where everything's perfect, even though it's complete shit and is slowly falling apart? Because he somehow manages to stay fucking happy all the time? Because he just brushes off anything he does wrong like he didn't do anything to fuck up?"

"...I'll admit, he's extremely optimistic and that can get annoying at times, but for the most part, I consider something like that a blessing..." F/N answered quietly, "Also, I don't think he's constantly happy, Max. David has a lot of emotions besides happy and sad."

I growled in annoyance. "F/N, it's not just his overbearing optimism. It's his fucking outlook on life! It's like he thinks the world is perfect! He needs to learn to get with the damn program, and learn that NOBODY CARES! LITERALLY NOBODY CARES ABOUT THIS STUPID FUCKING CAMP BUT HIM!"

I was panting now from yelling, but slowed my breathing when I noticed F/N staring at me, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"...What? What the fuck are you staring at? You're looking at me like I'm a monster or something." I barked, and her expression darkened.

"THAT's why you treat David like shit? Because you think that his positive outlook on life and love for this place is dumb and needs to change? Max, are you fucking kidding me? You're fucking terrible!" she yelled, her face turning disgusted. I had never felt so pissed off in my life. She had some fucking nerve to say that. However, there was a tugging feeling in my gut. Dread and guilt. Sadness. Fear? Of what? But anyways, it felt awful. I felt tears burning behind my eyes. I was about to yell at her, but F/N's surprisingly soft voice beat me to it.

"Y'know Max... I think we should talk about this later. Calmly. After this day is over." she suggested, holding her arms and looking at the ground with guilt. At least she was sorry for yelling, I guess.

"...Sure thing. Sorry for... snapping like that..." I apologized.

We stood there in an awkward silence for a few moments.

"I'm... gonna make sure the campers aren't killing each other for this thing. I'll see you later." she said, before walking away towards the activities field. I was about to call out to her to ask her a question, but she was already gone.

My question: Why is she always helping the others? What good does it get her? That's about the only thing about her that infuriated me. She always felt like she has to help, no matter what. I've asked her this before, but she never gave me a real reply. I decided to catch up with Neil and Nikki as I spaced out, remembering the many times F/N decided to step in for things she didn't have to.

I'm not going into detail, but whenever she helped someone, they didn't even give a simple 'thank you' or even a glance or a word about it to her.

Everyone was ungrateful or apathetic about her help, and she knew it, but she still did it anyways.

Was she trying to be a pushover?

Like David?

F/N's POV

I sighed in sadness as I wandered around the camp, looking for a kid in need, which was my usual routine by now. Max's angry face had been burned into my memory. That hatred was really directed towards me. He probably didn't want to talk to me ever again. Or worse, he'd make my life hell, just like he does with the counselors.

_"Are you fucking kidding me? You're fucking terrible!"_

My own words that weren't even for me were stabbing me in the back. I shouldn't have said that. God, I was fucking worthless. Yelling at a kid for telling me his thoughts like I wanted him to. I was just like-

NO. You're not like your father. You're not like your father...

_"You're homeschooled for a reason, Sunshine. Nobody wants to be friends with a fuckin FREAK like you."_

Oh god no, not right now. I was NOT going to have a fucking mental breakdown...

_"Listen here, you little brat. Don't even fuckin bother. Nobody. Cares. Why? Because you're useless."_

Useless. This was the word I've been avoiding since dad kicked Mom, S/N (sister's name), and I out onto the streets.

 _"Don't worry, baby. You're not a burden."_ my Mom's soft voice filled my mind, soothing some of my festering memories,  _"It's terrible that most people only care when you have something to offer them. But I assure you, you'll meet people one day who will care for you, just because you're you."_

My topic-switching mind switched to David. He was similar to how my mom was. They both believed that everyone is good, and no matter what, they always saw the potential someone had. They both wanted people to grow, and they were willing to help others achieve that growth.

I never understood it.

I sighed as I had a flashback of the red head and I.

_"Oooooh F/N!" David called me, peeking his head into my tent._

_I groaned, and glanced at the clock above the tent door. It was 7:30am._

_"What do you want..." I yawned, noting that this was BEFORE the campers were supposed to wake up. Why was he waking me up now?_

_"Well, I was hoping you and I could take a walk? I just want to have a chat with you, is all..." he admitted. I froze. Oh God. What was he going to do to me? Did he know I'm not supposed to be here?_

_"S-sure, David... Lemme get dressed..." I replied, shakily._

_"Sure thing, F/N!" he cheered, before closing the tent._

_Once he was gone, I placed my hand on my heart. It was beating faster in fear. I began to shake. He was going to kick me out of the camp. He was going to yell at me for-_

_Wait, this is David we're talking about. Maybe he just wants to get to know me? I am a new camper, after all..._

_This thought calmed me down a bit, as I stopped shaking enough to a point where I could actually move. I pulled out a fresh outfit from my bag and got dressed, before throwing my hair up into a ponytail like Gwen's._

_Once I was ready, I slipped out of my tent. David was standing next to the fire pit, waiting for me._

_"Hey, David..." I nervously greeted, tugging at the sleeves of my hoodie. David turned towards me, an excited smile on his face._

_"Ah, there you are! Are you ready to go?"_

_"Yeah..."_

_And with that we took off._

_We had been walking for a good 15 minutes. David and I had been talking about random subjects, such as favorite foods, nature facts, and weird experiences we've had. I already knew the area well, considering I literally lived here, but David didn't know that._

_"Y'know F/N, you seem... different from the other campers." David commented after a few minutes of comfortable silence. I looked at the tall man and quirked an eyebrow._

_"How so?" I asked, playing with my ponytail. I was around 4 years late for a haircut appointment. I REALLY needed to get this shit cut..._

_"Well to start, you're actually very respectful to us counselors, unlike some of the others..." David said._

_"When you say some of the others, you mean literally every other camper besides me?" I teased slightly._

_"...Yeah..." David admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, "But that's not it! You're also really friendly with most of the campers! I don't think I've ever heard of a camper speak bad about you! Except Nurf, before you... yeah..."_

_I chuckled, remembering the time I punched him and seemed to convert him to a friendlier person. However, a sudden thought came to my mind, and I furrowed my brows._

_"Hey David, why are you telling me this?" I asked, shoving my hands into my pockets. I noticed we were going a bit off trail, but I shrugged it off. If we kept walking in the direction we currently we're, we'd end up in the flower field._

_David was silent for a few moments. His mouth opened and closed but no sound coming out, trying to put together a sentence to explain his thoughts._

_"... To put it simply, I'm just... grateful... to have you here. Having a camper like you around compared to the others is like a breath of fresh air. Not to mention that you help Gwen and I take care of the campers, when it's not even your job. Heck, you help everyone, even if you know the outcome might not be the greatest. But, you end up making it better than it could've been. I'm happy you're here. I truly am. And I hope that maybe I can help you grow those amazing characteristics and traits you have, and you can help even more people."_

_I was..._

_Touched. I froze in my tracks and stared at the ground, trying to comprehend what the green-eyed man had just confessed._

_He was grateful for what I did._

_He was happy that I existed._

_He_ _cared_ _for me._

_I could feel my father's insults loosen their grip on my mind and heart. He really was just like Mom._

_I had no idea how to respond. By now, David had noticed I had fallen behind, and was staring at me in wonder. I felt my lip quiver, a wave of emotions washing over me. Happiness. Excitement. Anxiety._

_Trust_ _._

_And this wasn't the kind of trust that came with telling a friend who your crush was or something silly._

_This was familial._

_The feeling when your mother tells you that it'll be okay. When your father leaves you cute notes in your lunchbox. When your sibling gives you a hug after you've suffered from a nightmare. When you're given a hug as a greeting because your parents came home from work._

That day was the first time I actually shed emotional tears in what was probably years. When I burst into tears at his confession, he was shocked for a few moments, but he had ran over and hugged me. I felt secure and safe. For the first time in what seemed like forever...

I felt  _loved._

Maybe this was what my answer to Max's question is.

 _"Why are you always helping others? It doesn't get you anything. At all."_ Max's angry voice echoed through my head.

Well Max, maybe helping others does give me something.

_Trust and Love._

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a hand on my arm. It was Dolph, his blue eyes staring intensely into mine.

Oh yeah, the Sparrow thing.

I raised an eyebrow, a silent way of asking "What do you need".

Suddenly, Dolph started to shout as loud as he could.

"OH F/N, YOU LOOK SO SAD! PLEASE TELL ME, THE GREAT DOLPH, WHAT IS WRONG!" The boy yelled, obviously trying to attract the attention of the counselors. I rolled my eyes at the child, his motives clear.

"I'm fine. Just spacing out." I answered, ruffling the boys black hair, "Thanks for worrying, though."

Dolph stared at me with disbelief, light blue eyes narrowing. God, I just remembered how much he looked like Hitler.

"... Where are you hiding your problems, F/N?" He demanded, gripping my arm. I looked around nervously, hoping Neil wasn't around to notice the... uh...  _implications_.

"Seriously Dolph, I'm okay." I chuckled, gently removing the boys hands from my arm, "Besides, my personal problems aren't yours to deal with."

Before the boy could respond, I walked away, continuing my sweep. I checked the pier and saw Harrison and Nerris whispering to each other. They noticed me and waved, big smiles on their faces.

"HIIIIIII F/N!!!" Nerris called out to me. I waved back and smiled slightly.

"Hello, Nerris! Harrison!" I answered, before heading to them.

"So what are you kids doing?" I asked, sitting down at the edge of the pier. My legs were freely dangling over the clear water, just long enough to touch it with the tip of my toes.

Nerris and Harrison laughed nervously.

"Oh you know..." Nerris said.

"Just hanging out..." Harrison finished for the DnD fanatic, fiddling with his gloves. I smirked knowingly and rolled my eyes.

"Alright, let me know if you need help with anything." I offered.

I was about to walk away, but suddenly, David was seen strolling by, whistling an unfamiliar tune. I watched in amusement as Harrison waved to get the man's attention. Nerris pointed to something in the distance, but was suddenly shoved off the pier and into the water by Harrison. I choked on my own spit in horror at the action.

"Harrison!" David called out to the magic brunette with the same emotions as me.

"Oh Nerris, you clumsy fool! Never fear." Harrison monologued, pulling out a fishing rod from his hat, "I shall save you out of the kindness of my gold heart!"

The magician boy cast the line into the water. The hook caught onto Nerris's cape, pulling him into the water. David and I watched in awe as Harrison went tumbling into the water along with his accomplice, neither coming up for air even after a few seconds.

"...Gwen!" David called out for the co-counselor.

Wait, why the fuck would he call Gwen if he was literally right there?

Guess I'm gonna have to be the smart one.

Again.

"I got it!" I assured the distressed man, jumping off the pier and into the water.

I couldn't see the two kids, but I could definitely hear and feel them nearby. I swam underwater, feeling around for the kids. Almost instantly, I felt Nerris's cape and Harrison's leg, which was kicking frantically. I scooped up both of the disoriented kids into my arms, my arms around their panicking torsos, and I kicked to the surface.

Harrison and Nerris coughed out water as I swam them to the shore. Once we arrived, David's eyes lit up.

"F/N! You saved Harrison and Nerris!" he praised, helping me stand up after dealing with the two kids. I wobbled a bit, legs tired from kicking in the water.

"What did you expect me to do? Let them drown while you waited for Gwen, who probably didn't even hear you?" I grumbled, picking out strands of algae from my ruined hair. Wow, that came out saltier than I wanted it to be. Oh well, no turning back now.

"Well, I was going to jump in, but you beat me to it. Anyways, thank you for your help! Go dry off, now. I'm sure you're cold." he kindly replied, nudging me in the direction of my tent. I was somewhat shocked he ignored my anger, but I let it happen.

"Before I go, though..." I began, and David smiled even more at me.

"What is it?"

"What's the prize that's gonna be given away, anyways? Is it money or something?" I asked, and David's smile dropped.

"Well, no. I'd say it's a lot better than some stupid cash or gift card..." he replied. I scowled.

"Is it a pair of sick new popular shoes?"

"Uh, no..."

"David, is this prize even a material possession? Something you can put in your dining room hutch and have your parents brag to your relatives about?"

"Not the main prize, but-"

"David, are you kidding me? Then that's not a prize! The kids are going to be upset with you! They want material possessions! Not some... ceremony or something!" I cried out, worried for the fate of this man. These kids were going to tear him apart...

David scoffed at me, though his face showed he was now worried as well. "Well, I think they're going to love it!"

"Fine. Since you're so confident in this, then answer another question for me. Why are you even holding this little challenge in the first place?" I challenged, shoving my hands into my pockets.

"To challenge the campers to be kind, and-"

"I think we both know that's complete bullshit, David."

"I want to know which campers actually care, okay?!" David suddenly yelled into my face, making me flinch in fear at the sudden closeness. "My goal of being here at Camp Campbell is to show others the joy of camping, but none of the campers seem to care! It's like talking to a brick wall! So, I decided to use this tradition to maybe... edge them on to..."

"...David, I..." I stammered, knowing I was going to hate myself and regret this later, "I'm sorry, but... This whole thing... isn't the right way to go about something like this. The only reason why the kids are going to be kind and 'Do good' today is because they think they're gonna get a sick trophy, or money or something. Once they get their prize, they're going to go back to not giving a shit. Unless maybe something tragic happens to you and they feel bad about it, they're not... gonna..."

I stopped speaking when David turned around, his back to me. His bright smile had dropped in the middle of my rant, leaving behind a powerless frown.

"...I'll go back to my tent. I'm sorry for this." I blurted. Suddenly, David whirled around and grasped my shoulders, making me face him. My face turned to one of confusion, seeing his face turned to a hopeful one.

"What you said may be true to most campers... but obviously not all of them." David said, a confident smile curving his lips upwards.

I worriedly arched an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for someone who says that nobody cares, you telling me all of this shows just about the opposite about yourself, don't you think?" he gently interjected, a warm grin appearing on his face now.

I couldn't help but let a tiny, miniscule smile grace my face.

"Ah... You got me, huh?" I said, averting my eyes to the left and staring at the ground. David removed his hands from my shoulders and instead stood beside me, staring off into the lake.

David chuckled. "I guess so. And even if you're right about the others not caring, at least I have the camp itself, and you, apparently. So I really appreciate that."

And for a few calming moments, David and I stared out at the lake, taking in the pleasing sight of the warm sunlight reflecting off the water, and the sound of waves gently sliding on and off the shore.

In these few moments, something in my mind suddenly clicked. I enjoyed being here at camp. It replaced the bitter loneliness that I had no clue I had been suffering from until now. It gave me friends that I felt I could rely on. People I could lean on in dark times, even though I've only known them for maybe a few weeks. Because in those few weeks, those friends managed to show they care about me and my well-being, and I've shown them the same thing. They didn't care if I was a "Goody two-shoes" who constantly felt I needed to help others to earn approval. They just cared for me for who I was and who I turned out/will turn out to be.

Just like Mom said.

For a split second, I considered telling David about my true self; where I  _really_  come from. However, I decided against it. The timing just wasn't right.

Suddenly, the alarm on David's watch went off.

"Oh dear! It's time for the counselor lunch break!" David said in response to the beeping, pressing a button on the watch to turn off the alarm. "F/N, this was a nice talk, but I'll see you later."

The red-head waved at me as he walked in the direction of the Mess Hall. I smiled and waved back, watching as he disappeared out of sight. A gust of wind from the lake rushed past me and I shivered, being reminded of my sopping wet clothes.

"Yeah okay, I'm definitely going to my tent now..."

After drying off, changing into actual clothes, and MAYBE taking an hour nap, I stepped out of my tent. It was... oddly quiet.

Fuck. This wasn't good.

I headed in the direction of the Mess Hall, but froze when I heard Max's voice.

Everyone was gathered around the Mess Hall, staring at David.

Shit. He was about to be torn apart by a bunch of elementary/middle schoolers... However, I decided to hide behind a thick tree along the path and listen in.

"This doesn't count, David." Max said, leaning against the Mess Hall, "They don't ACTUALLY care."

Shit Max, really? I know I insulted him while trying to explain to him why hating someone for having a good outlook was a bad thing, but was THIS really the way to go?

"W-w-what do you mean? Of course they do! Look at 'em!" David tried to object, his voice wavering a bit.

"No. They're just doing all of this because they think they'll get something awesome!" Max argued, standing up straight and clenching his hands into fists. Max had basically put my rant into a simpler form, with a much harsher tone and ill intent instead. I scowled at the boy in anger, but I stayed hidden.

"A little motivation never hurt anyone." David nervously defended himself.

Max roared, pointing at the tall man. "Until they find out there IS no prize!"

"Of course there's a prize! It's a great prize!" David replied with surprising volume.

"Money?" Max asked.

"No!"

"A new pony? A motorcycle? An electron microscope?!"

"No! It's better than all of that! It's symbolic and beautiful!"

"Is it a job well done? Because that's a fucking cop-out, David!"

"IT'S A BONFIRE!" David yelled resentfully into Max's face. I put a hand over my mouth in shock.

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted, infuriated, making Max and David look at the crowd.

"...What!" Space Kid joined in, a little late to the hate party. David nervously made his way over to the large stack of logs in a fire pit, and gestured to it.

"A bonfire!" he timidly tried to hype up the campers. Everyone just stared at him.

"...A bonfire." Neil said annoyed, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes! It's the highest honor. The fire is lit with a flaming arrow, signifying the-" David was cut off by Nikki, who looked at him with betrayal.

"Wait. We don't actually get anything?" she asked, and I sighed. I knew this would end up a goddamn disaster. I knew the campers would hate him for it. I fucking knew it., and it feels  _awful_.

"I mean, of course you do!" David disagreed, pulling out a white sash with a blue eagle badge on it, "Everyone gets their own sash. Like this!"

"But it's so ugly!" Preston objected from the upset crowd. In the front of said crowd, Max was evilly smirking. I've never wanted to hit a kid before, but the thought of punching the hateful boy square in the nose and sending his frail body flying was very appealing to me at that moment.

"W-well-" David was cut off by Gwen's soft, apologetic voice.

"David, is this seriously it?" she questioned, disappointed.

"Yeah, David." Max decided to butt in like the little dickwad he is. How did I not notice he was this shitty before?

"Okay, you guys just aren't seeing it." David attempted to explain. I looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds billowing over the area.

It was going to rain, so there couldn't even BE a bonfire.

"I'm telling you. This is amazing. The big fire, there's music, a ceremony, OH! And the passing of the staff!" David continued rambling, pulling out the staff he was holding this morning, "The chief chooses a new member to carry his staff, and lead the new generation of Sparrows!"

"So, one of us gets a stick?" Neil questioned, face turning hostile.

"IT'S AN ANCIENT STAFF!" David yelled, swinging said staff, only for it to snap in half. He gasped in sorrow.

"Welp. This is a trainwreck." Quartermaster mumbled before walking off.

David stared at the broken staff before pulling out a flint and steel and crouching next to the firewood.

"No wait, I'll show you! Let me just get it lit!" David desperately called out, trying to make sparks with the tools. Suddenly, thunder could be heard and I felt raindrops land on my S/C face. I looked up and sure enough, it had begun to pour rain from the sky. I looked at David sadly. This poor man...

"David..." Gwen gently said to the man, shielding her face from the rain with a hand, "Let it go."

David turned to her. "No no no! I can still light it! You'll see!" he huffed, continuing to slam the flint and steel ring together, failing miserably to make any form of fire at all. Everyone stared at him, and I felt tears well up in my eyes.

Why was everyone just letting this happen? And to a man such as this? A man who genuinely tried to care for everyone and tend to their needs? A man who did his very damn best to make them happy? A man who decided to continue a tradition and wanted to pass it along because he loved it so much, and wanted to share it?

Why did the world have to be so cruel to him?

"I can't believe I frenched a platypus for this." Neil grumbled. Gwen sighed and herded the kids towards the Mess Hall.

"Come on, kids." she said, and everyone grumbled, leaving behind David, Max and I.

"Guys! Wait! I-I've almost got it! I'm sure!" David called out to the others, consistently trying to start the fire that could probably never happen. But they didn't hear.

Max walked up behind David and began to speak.

"Well David, you were right. This IS amazing." Max sarcastically hissed, watching said counselor toil over the flint and steel in his hands. I balled my hands into fists. I was so inexplicably angry at this kid.

"If I could just... show you..." David answered, still pounding away at the his tools.

"Do you really think a big campfire and some outdated... honestly kind of racist tradition is going to make anyone care about anything?" Max antagonized, making David slam the flint and steel together harder in desperation. I tried counting to ten to control my anger, but it wasn't working.

I was actually getting fucking pissed off at this little snot-nosed punk.

"No one gives a shit, David. Nobody wants to be here."

David was grunting now, as Max glared holes into his back.

Max continued his little speil, making a few tears slip out of David's eyes. "God! It's like you live in this stupid make-believe world where everything's great! The universe doesn't work that way, idiot! Just look around! It's what I've been trying to show you since day one!"

He walked over to a now frozen and silently crying David. "Life sucks. And we live in a world of desensitized, apathetic assholes.

...

...

...

Why don't you just get with the program and stop giving a shit?"

I snapped, and stepped out of hiding from behind the tree. Max turned to me, shock written all over his face.

"F/N? I thought you were taking a nap?" he asked.

I ignored him and just stepped closer to him. I saw a bit of fear appear in his eyes as he took a few steps back away from me.

"Uhh, y-you okay? You look... mad..." he stammered nervously.

I was about to hit him as hard as I could.

But suddenly...

_"NO DAD, PLEASE!"_

_"F/N [FATHER'S NAME], STOP YOU DERANGED BASTARD!"_

_I screamed in fear and agony as a smashed bottle came down on my head. The impact caused my small, impressionable, 8 year old body to fall onto the floor, dizzy and covered in blood. My father's face turned to my mother, face full of malice and killing intent. My vision went blurry as tears filled my eyes. I felt the familiar arms of my sister pick me up and run, before my vision went dark._

The sudden memory made me freeze in my tracks. Instead of having hatred towards Max like earlier, it had switched to myself.

I almost fucking hit him, like the godforsaken being that I was, and more than likely destined to become. I almost hit Max, one of the very few people in my life that I trusted, even a little bit.

And it felt fucking awful.

"F-F/N?" Max's now small voice caught my attention. He was looking at me in worry, and I dropped my hand, defeated. Tears burned behind my eyes, and I let them fall.

"O-Oh Jesus, F/N, uh..." Max stepped closer to me, and I suddenly remembered what I was pissed off at him for.

But I wasn't angry.

Just disappointed.

"... Max, why are you like this?" I first asked the mint-eyed boy, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Huh?"

I pointed at David weakly at his response. "...What good does antagonizing David get you? A sick satisfaction? A feeling of power? What?"

Max didn't know how to answer at first. But then, his worried stare turned into an irritated one. "Oh, so we're continuing THAT argument now, huh? Fuck you. I can't understand why you're defending that useless sack of shit. He HAS to LEARN, F/N!" He yelled, stepping closer to me.

"You wanna know why I'm defending him?" I growled, tears still flowing like a waterfall from my eyes, "Because no matter how annoyingly happy he is, no matter how many times he fucks up, no matter how many times someone has to save his ass, no matter fucking WHAT..."

I paused to wipe away some tears, Max waiting patiently for the rest of my answer with a cold expression on his face.

"Because no matter what... David is better. Better than the both of us." I finished.

Max quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" the boy asked harshly.

I took a deep breath. "...Unlike us, David has managed to find himself, for the most part. His happy place. What brings him joy. What he wants to do with himself, and how he's gonna do it..." I gazed at David's still frozen figure, and cringed as a sob racked through his body. "... And we haven't. At least not me. I don't know what makes you happy, Max, but I think it's best... for the BOTH of us... that we at least respect him and his happiness."

Max was intensely staring at me, his angered expression turned into one of sorrow and pain. I opened my mouth to speak again, and turned to him.

"There's so little happiness in the world nowadays, Max. And seeing someone actively trying to blow out those few candles that are left is... it hurts."

"F/N..." Max whispered, stepping closer to me a bit. He was about to speak, but David's voice beat him to it, shocking the both of us.

"Max, you're right." David's broken voice cut through the air like a knife through butter. Max and I turned to him, intrigued.

"What?" we stammered at the same time, staring at the soaked man in front of us. David slowly stood up from his crouch, not looking at us, opting to face the soaked firewood instead.

"Times have changed, whether I like it or not. The campers don't care, Gwen... doesn't care... even the founder of this place has better things to do." he continued, finally turning to look at us. Max and I met eyes for a second, and it was obvious we were both thinking the exact same thing; we were both so fucking sorry. Sorry for arguing, and sorry for David. I took a deep breath and looked at the man standing in front of us, and Max did the same.

"That's why I'll never stop trying." David confessed, his stern and angry face making chill run down my spine in fear combined with shock, "Because somebody fucking has to."

Overhead, thunder and lightning boomed through the sky. I could hear a tree crash from very far away.

I froze as David turned to me, his forest green eyes meeting my E/C ones.

"F/N. Thank you so much for defending me. For the most part, you're right; It's a terrible thing to get rid of someone's happiness because you yourself doesn't have it, but Max is right. I can't keep acting like everything's okay. Because it's not..."

His face was much softer now, a more apologetic expression gracing his features. However, he turned around again and continued hacking away at the flint and steel ring as Max and I stared, a heavy feeling in in our hearts. Above us, more thunder and lightning.

Max and I looked at David, then at the sky, then at the broken staff on the ground, at each other, and finally back to David.

Max raised his arm slightly in an attempt to comfort the redhead. "David..."

"Go back to your tent, you two... You'll just catch a cold." he replied glumly. He hit the flint and steel together once more, only for the steel ring to snap in half. He shook in anger and threw one of the broken halves of the ring at the firewood.

"Grrh...! Oh give me a break!"

The half of the ring caused the large logs to wobble, and fall towards him.

"DAVID!" Max and I called out to the man at the same time, rushing forward.

David yelled in fear as the logs hit him, and soon he was buried in the stack.

Max froze. "F/N! What do we do?!" he choked, grabbing onto my hoodie in helplessness.

I stared at the mountain of heavy wood on top of a more than likely unconscious David. Suddenly, a plan formed in my mind. I gripped Max's shoulders and turned him to me.

"Max, I'm going to lift up the firewood. Once David is visible, drag him out. Be as quick as you can. Think you can do that?" I asked, and Max nodded profusely.

I jogged over to the firewood and lifted up a few logs, revealing David's cut up head.

"Max, quick!" I called out to the indian boy.

"Got it!" he responded, finding David's arms and tugging as hard as he could. David's body successfully came loose, and Max pulled the man out with ease, probably due to the slippery mud that was surrounding us.

I sighed in relief as I dropped the wet wood, wiping my hands off with my shirt.

"F/N, he's bleeding from his head. It looks bad..." Max called out to me, crouching over David's body and examining the poor man's face. I ran over to the two and crouched down, brushing David's wet hair out of his face.

Max was right.

It was a really nasty blow from the wood that David had taken. There was a small but heavily bleeding crevice in his head, as well as some other minor scratches on the rest of his body. Thinking fast, I reached into David's brown vest, and pulled out a roll of medical bandaging, as well as some gauze, a small pocket sized bottle of rubbing alcohol, and cotton pads. It was a good thing he had all this on him. I turned to Max.  
"Go get Gwen while I patch him up, will ya?" I requested, and he quirked an eyebrow.

"Why Gwen? It looks like you have this under control..." he asked.

"So we can get this bonfire and ceremony started." I replied, and Max raised his shitty split eyebrows in shock, before his face turned to one of understanding.

"It is the least we can do for him, huh?" he commented and I nodded.

"... I'll go get Gwen. Be right back." Max said, before jogging off.

I turned my attention to David, pouring some alcohol onto a cotton pad and pressing it to his wound, cleaning it. I checked to make sure there wasn't any left over wood splinters or anything in his head before applying gauze, and finally wrapping his head with the bandages. I looked up and noticed the rain had stopped, revealing the sun. It was just beginning to set, the flaming ball still fairly high in the sky.

"F/N? I got Gwen and the others." I heard Max say, along with many pairs of footsteps. I looked at the direction of the sound and saw all of the campers, Gwen, and Quartermaster staring at me with confusion.

"F/N, what's all this about?" Gwen asked, crouching next to David, "And is he okay?"

"Okay, to put this simply, David REALLY wanted to impress all of us with this Sparrow thing. He tries really hard, all the time, and I think that we can repay him in a way by holding this ceremony thing he wanted to do... for him. It's the least we can do. Also yeah, David's fine. He'll probably be a bit dizzy for a while after he wakes up, which will probably be in a few hours or so." I explained, putting the medical supplies back into David's vest. The others looked at each other and whispered among themselves.

"What will we do for the ceremony?" Dolph asked from the crowd, raising his hand.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what the tradition is, but it sounds like we all dress up as Native Americans, play some music, have this bonfire, and pass the staff to the best camper." I answered.

"Wait, didn't David say we dress up like Indians?" Nikki asked. Next to Gwen, Max facepalmed.

"No, it's Native American. Indians are completely different from-" Max was cut off by an excited Nikki.

"Indians! David said Indians!" she yelled.

"OH! I'll help make costumes!" Preston offered, and everyone cheered. I looked at Max apologetically, but he only smiled a bit and shrugged.

"Guess it's Indian themed, then." he commented. He looked at the split staff on the ground next to me.

"I'll fix the stick while everyone makes their costumes, I guess." he offered.

Everyone looked at me ecstatic. I smiled at them. "So I assume we're making this thing happen?" I asked.

"YEAH!!!" Everyone cheered.

This is what ended up happening:

Gwen stayed with David and made sure nothing bad happened to him while he rested. The Quartermaster, Nikki, Nurf, and I readjusted the firewood so it was back in top notch bonfire position. Max fixed the staff using some duct tape he found, and absolutely DRENCHED the wet firewood with gasoline. The rest of the campers ran around, raiding the long abandoned fashion camp for materials and tools for the costumes.

Around 2 and a half hours later, It was already dark. Max and I had taken showers to get the mud off and changed into our new costumes. Since I had no clue what to have made for the ceremony, Max chose for me.

It was a slim, golden colored dress with a beautiful black embroidery at the bottom, underneath an emerald green shawl like blouse with even more embroidery. To add to the look, I made sure to throw up my hair in a high braid. Fuck, I forgot how long my hair had grown; even when it was put up in a braid, it still reached a little bit past the back of my knees.

But I still looked pretty, especially with the outfit. I might actually keep it for later.

A sudden knock on the bathroom door snapped me out of my thoughts, and Nerris walked in. She was already in her costume; a green dress similar to mine with a red belt and red blouse/scarf. She kind of looked like a Christmas elf, but she still looked adorable. I smiled at her.

"Hey Nerris, what's up?" I asked, playing with my braid. Her eyes lit up, and a big grin appeared on her face.

"F/N, you look so pretty!" she complimented, speech slurred like usual because of her braces. I laughed.

"Thanks! You're pretty damn adorable in that, too!" I replied. Nerris giggled and grabbed my wrist, before dragging me out of the bathroom.

"Gwen is about to wake up David! And since you're the main planner of this, it's best if you're there when he wakes up." Nerris explained.

I hummed in agreement and looked at the bonfire in the distance. The gasoline was working well as fire fuel, and the fire itself looked beautiful in the dark like this. I stood next to Gwen, who smiled at me in greeting.

"Nice costume. It compliments you well." she said.

"Thanks." I replied, playing with my braid a bit. I looked at the campers, who had taken their spots around the fire. Everyone was in their place, except for Max. I looked at Nikki in confusion.

"Yo Nikki, where'd Max go?" I asked the mint-haired girl.

She perked up at the sound of her name. "Oh, the staff broke again, so Max is fixing it. He's in the Mess Hall, I think." she answered festively, playing with the bow she lit the fire with.

Suddenly, Gwen made an announcement. "Alright everyone, I'm about to wake up David! Make sure you're in your spots!" she yelled, and I looked at the Mess Hall. Max was still inside, so as Gwen was waking the man up, I jogged to said building and entered.

Just as I entered, I heard a small yelp from Max.

"Shit F/N, watch it!" he scolded, holding the fixed staff. I apologized and held the door open for the boy, who gave a small "thanks" and walked through.

Max and I heard Nikki yell "Wake up, Buttercup!" and we looked at each other, before jogging to the ceremony.

"Nikki, no more arrows!" Gwen yelled, to which Nikki replied "You can't control me, white devil!" before running off. I snickered.

I heard David speak.

"You're all dressed up as..."

"Indians. Just like you said!" Neil explained, gesturing to everyone.

"We designed the outfits ourselves!" Dolph added.

"Do you love them? I LOVE THEM!" Preston inserted.

"But, why?" David asked softly, staring at everyone. As Max and I finally reached the ceremony, Max decided to speak.

"Alright, I fixed it. Everybody hurry up and..." Max paused when he saw that David was already awake. "Ah shit, he's awake."

David stared at us. "Max? F/N? Did you-"

His sentence was cut off by Max shoving the staff towards him. "DO NOT look too deeply into this! You suck. This world sucks, and one day, we're all gonna die and none of it will matter. But if we didn't do this, I'm pretty sure you'd kill yourself or something." the boy defended us in embarrassment, but trying not to show it.

David sniffled in happiness, wiping away a tear. "Oh, you two!"

"Or shoot up the camp. I don't know, it was a possibility." Max finished, looking at the ground.

David crouched to our level, an overjoyed look on his face. "Thank you."

Max leaned the staff towards David, still refusing to look at him. "Whatever. Just take your stupid stick."

Suddenly, the staff fell apart again, the bird carving half falling towards the ground. I caught it before it could touch the dirt, holding it to my chest. Max and I looked at each other before looking at David, and offering both parts of the staff to him. He gave us a gentle smile, before giving the pieces back to us.

"Two chiefs? That's new." Quartermaster commented from next to Gwen. Space Kid came up to us, eyes sparkling.

"Awww, lucky!" he envied, causing Max to knock him to the ground with his half of the staff. In response, I knocked Max to the ground with my half of the staff.

"Yeah, that's fair." he mumbled in response, standing back up. We wandered into our spots and calmly stared at the bonfire with a sense of accomplishment.

"You know, it is kind of nice." Neil commented. Suddenly, the strum of a guitar caught everyone's attention.

It was the Quartermaster, his hand a guitar pick now instead of his usual hook. Beside him stood Gwen, who had her hands folded together. She stared at the fire, stars in her eyes, and began to sing.

" _There's a place I know that's tucked away..."_

Everyone's eyes began to sparkle in glee, and we all looked at each other excitedly. I stared at Gwen in awe. Her voice was so beautiful, and the fire illuminated everyone's features in a way that nothing else could.

" _A place where you and I can stay. Where we can go to laugh and play, and have adventures everyday."_

David and I turned to Max. I gestured him to come join us, a happy glow in my eyes. The boy looked at me and smiled softly before obliging, standing next to me. He was to my right and David was to my left.

" _I know it sounds hard to believe, but guys and gals, it's true._ "

David leaned towards Max and I whispered.

"So, how'd you two start a fire with wet wood, anyway?" he asked.

"We called upon the fire gods to grant us a blessing." I joked. Max snickered and gently elbowed me in the stomach.

"We're not idiots, David. I used gasoline." he replied to the man, who suddenly looked kind of afraid.

"Wait, what?" he stammered.

Suddenly the bonfire exploded, causing everyone to scream in shock, excitement, and probably slight fear.

Nikki cheered. "WAAAHOOO! Do it again! Do it again!"

I cackled at her, extinguishing the tiny flame that had managed to get on my braid.

" _Camp Campbell is the place for me and you._ "

     


	11. F/N notes by David and Gwen!

Okay, so these are notes about a certain camper here at Camp Campbell for RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY!! These notes aren't being used to hurt or manipulate campers, only to get to know said camper. These notes will be a summary of traits, background information, and things like that.

Traits

Carefree- F/N doesn't seem to worry much, and just lets things play out. It's often that they can be found doing their own thing, despite what other campers think.

Analytical- F/N seems to know exactly what's going to happen with campers, especially their reactions to things. They're able to figure out just about anything about anyone if given time.

Reckless- They're quick to throw themselves into harm's way, especially if someone's in danger. On top of that, they don't really seem to care about their health much.

Space Cadet- F/N spaces out. A lot. It's hard to keep a conversation with them going, and they switch from topic to topic if you manage to keep up a conversation. They also space out when digesting information, it seems.

Motherly/Responsible- F/N seems to have a complex of babying and helping the campers if they're having troubles. This makes her reliable and responsible. Both Gwen and I are able to leave the camp at the same time and come back without any trouble because of her!

Mature- She's very mature and smart for her age! Even us counselors are able to receive great advice from her!

Reserved- F/N is actually pretty shy for someone who likes to help others. If it gets too loud or too crowded in an area, she'll leave and come back when it's less full. She also likes to hide things, even if it's something small like a neat drawing. Also, fun fact: F/N is REALLY good at drawing! Also, F/N is a fan of nearly pure solitude. She doesn't eat in the Mess Hall very often, and eats in her own tent instead.

Neutral- F/N doesn't like getting in the way of others. She only steps in if she thinks someone's doing something completely wrong, or she's being told to do something. This makes her an amazing mediator without any form of bias whatsoever.

Caring/Empathetic- F/N, along with being mature and motherly, really does her best to understand and put herself in the shoes of others when they have problems.

Dedicated- When F/N puts her mind to something, she WILL finish it, even if she has to wait a while to do it.

Blunt- F/N says anything and everything on her mind when it comes to calling someone out or explaining something. She absolutely refuses to beat around the bush.

Lots of self control- F/N is very in control of her emotions, and it's very obvious that she mostly thinks before acting. However, a lot of this control comes from bottling up too many strong emotions, which inevitably explodes later on.

Hobbies!

Drawing

Taking Nature walks!

Sleeping

Throwing campers into the lake

Styling hair

Background

We have no idea how old she is, but with her physical appearance, she's probably 14 or 15

Parents often absent for business trips

Parent(s) possibly physically/emotionally abusive

Relationships

Max- Best friend

Nikki- Good friend

Neil- Good friend

Nurf- friend

Dolf- friend

Ered- close acquaintance

Nerris- close acquaintance

David- friend

Gwen- close acquaintance

Mentality

Finds the world to be cruel. "There's so little happiness in the world nowadays. Seeing someone actively trying to blow out those few candles that are left hurts."

Believes in helping others find their happiness to find happiness of their own


	12. F/N and Nikki go Cryptid Hunting and prove their badassery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess there's blood in this chapter, so be wary.

F/N’s POV

 

It’s been about 3 days since the bonfire, and things were going really smoothly, except for one thing.

Terrible, grotesque, brutal, fear-inducing nightmares had been keeping me up all night recently.

_ I was running through the forest surrounding Camp Campbell, breathing heavily from the exhaustion slowly creeping up on me. Behind me, a series of alien-sounding growls and whispers could be heard, followed by the the crunching of sticks, leaves, and anything that got in the way of the source of the sound. _

_ The source? _

_ A familiar, yet terrible creature. _

_ I cringed as I heard the sound of a tree fall behind me, a bit too close for comfort. I suddenly took a hard left, smirking in slight victory as the creature shrieked in pain from slamming into a tree.  _

_ However, that victory was short-living. _

_ I gasped in fear as I suddenly came to a steep cliff, sliding in order to stop moving forward and falling into the abyss. The cliff was bottomless, as there was only inky blackness that could be seen when you stared into it. _

_ I suddenly felt a chill run up my spine, followed by freezing cold air running down my neck. I froze, unable to move from the sheer terror running through my veins. _

_ I could only stare wide-eyed as the creature picked me up by the neck with one of its long, needle-like hands and forced me to face it, my eyes reluctantly taking in the appearance of the entity. _

_ It was a humanoid monster, but it was all skin and bone. The monster was so thin, you could literally see its skeleton. The entire monster looked as if it was made entirely out of shadows, as it was pitch black. Two horns and long, pointed ears jutted out from the sides of its head, where two glowing purple eyes stared into my soul and a large, jagged toothed, purple glowing mouth seemed to grin at me. There was a sharp spike jutting out of its chest, as well as some smaller ones on its shoulders, arms, and calves. _

_ I began to shake in fear as it dragged a long claw slowly across the skin of my jaw. The creature opened its mouth, revealing thousands of rows of knife-like teeth, and began to speak. _

 

_ “D̶̢̛͉͉̼̺̞̊ẻ̵͓̙̎͜t̴̜̜̰̐̾͘͜͜͝ä̵̟͓͔̳́e̶̺̖͆r̴̖̼̼̤͎̿c̴̰̅̏̀͘ ̸̨̪̙͍͍͆̈́̈͌̽e̸͇̩͊v̵̨̥̯̫̯̅̒̍̑̕ͅ'̶̮̟̘͆̽̀͐͌ư̵̢͙̗͉̾̀̈́̇̿o̷̻̣̙͂͋̓̀̂ỹ̴̹̼͕̀ ̴͈̑̅s̷̨̹͕̘̑͂͆̈́ȩ̷̺̺͇͈̪̾͂h̴̜̤̓̌͠͝s̶̡̠͍̒̓̄å̷̧͙̳̜͜ͅ ̴͚̘̥̘͖̇̎̈́͘ę̸͔̤̦̟͈̐̿̐ḧ̵̠̰̱̤̜̗́͝t̸͇̲̘͔͗̐̏͐̉̕ ̸̢̙͓̠̠͚̅̈́̃̓̈́m̵̙̯̹̎̓̅̍o̸͈̙̗̲̭̗̍͌̉̊̾̆r̷̛̼̱̦̲̈́͑̍f̴̢͍͔̠͋̿ ̴͎̱̳͇̈́́̚̕͜ē̴͖͐͜s̷̛̮̟̰̈́͛͗̓i̴̻͔̼̖̝̖̓̃̍̐͐̚r̶̘̼̝̹͋ ̵͕̺̰̓̐̔̍́̉l̸̡̳͇̤͓̟̑̍̃̐͠l̴͚̟̤̾͊̈́̂͝a̸̢͛̒̏͊h̶̢̫͑̿s̵̡̺̮͌̅̓͗̌̃ ̸̡̬̺̄̉̃e̴̛̥̻̰̍̃̿̄̕r̶̤̳̤͕̈́͆̎̌̀͘i̵͔̬̻͇͙̾̐̓͝p̸͉͑̍̽̈́m̷̧̠͉̗͉̀̒̈̌̕̕e̶̻̠͈̻͗͂̕͠ͅ ̸̪̻̓̃͆̐͝e̴̱̻̟͓̾̐͒h̸̢̫̩͓̙̒t̷̢͇͙̗̦̳̒͊̌ ̴̪̱͖̟͂͌̎,̴̖̔d̴̠̰̓͛̉ḛ̶͍̮̙̖̿t̴̘̗̮̪͍͈͌̈̂͗͝͝c̸̨̻͠e̷̗̩͋̽͑l̴̥̺̭͑̀̈̏̚̕ͅl̷̹̮͇͗̎̔̓̇̌ȏ̴͉̭̙͑͒̽̕͝ĉ̵̘̥̟̳͗́̓͜ ̷̞̣̞͘s̶͈̽̍͂͆i̷̹̝̦̘͓̔̀̊̐͠͝ ̵̱͙͊̉ç̸͋̄̿͐͒i̷͚̮̘͎̒͋̀͊l̸̛̠͇̬͇͗̑̈͘ͅe̷̮̰̮̖̩͛̎͠r̸̨̢̛̯̦̜̄̍̕ ̴͚̲̟͔̭̙̓̓̾ȩ̷̖͉̭͎̀̏̅̎̑ͅh̴̻͚́t̴̢̰̫̱̠͇͛̒ ̷͎̤͔̄̈́̓̍͆͝ȩ̷̢͓̹̜̍̆̔̕c̶̢͔͊̋̿̔̈͠n̸͓͓͋̔̓͗͘ͅơ̸̝̲̻̊̓̆̈́ ̴̤͓̙̆͑̆r̴̻̞̬̄̂̓̚o̷̧̠͕̘͇͊f̵̥̘̜͚͔̃͒ ̵̧̺̮̣̜͙̋͐,̶̠̊̄̑̄̀h̷͖̳͇̳͌͒̚ẗ̸̠̘͚̥̪́̋̏͝͝ŗ̶̧̺͈̘͎͒̄̉͘̚a̷͕̠͒̂̄̕Ė̵̡̙̀̈́̉͒ ̶͇̈́̇n̶̡̙̤̊ǫ̶͔̣̖̥̋ ̸̨̤̯͉̼̆̆̓͐s̵̳͇͚͈̾̏̃̆̓̚y̷̘͕̟̋̍͛̔̇a̴̢̰̲̜̖̓ď̶̛̘̣̪͔̩̅͘͜ ̸̡̝̭̰͓̻̔͠w̸̹͝ẽ̴̡̨̯̤̹̅ͅf̸̲̰̼͇̫͗ ̴̛̝͚̯̩̇̓͌t̷̰̺͊̅̃s̷̛̠̺̪̪̭͒̔̊̈́a̷̫͍͗l̴͈̞̯̒̈̾ ̵̰̘̪͔̩͖̇e̵̡̥̻̝̯͎̿͂͛̎s̴̡͈͍͓̳̅͒͗e̶̜̘͔͎̖̞͝h̸̫̹̔ṱ̶̛͙͔͕̤̲͋̀ ̸̭̫̬̉̋̂͋̇y̴̥̫̪͍̍́o̵̡̫̖̪͎̿̿̑̃͋̕j̸̩̖͌̈́n̶̼̩̬̘͊͐̕͝ͅę̷̻͙̟̀́̒̀́͜͠.̶̛͙͂̅̔̒̏” _

 

_ And suddenly, the creature swung its massive claw, slicing me apart like sandwich meat, before tossing me into the abyss. _

I shivered at the memory, but yawned in exhaustion as I walked into the Mess Hall to get breakfast, standing behind Space Kid in line. The astronaut boy turned to me, and smiled.

“Oh hi, F/N!” he greeted, but his smile dropped to a frown of worry. “Uhh, you okay? You look really tired.”

I smiled weakly at the boy, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “Hey, Space Kid. I’m good. Just had a hard time sleeping is all.” I replied, grabbing a styrofoam tray from the cart next to us.

“Oh, okay. I hope you sleep better tonight, at least.” the kind boy bubbled, turning away to move forward and keep the line going.

Suddenly, Nikki’s voice could be heard outside. She was yelling. She burst open the doors to the Mess Hall, causing everyone to look at her. She panted and looked around, scanning the room with her wild, bright pink eyes.

“WHERE’S F/N?!?” she screamed, before her eyes landed on me. Almost immediately, she ran at me full-speed, and tackled me into the wall with a heavy thud.

“OW! Nikki, what the hell!!?” I scolded, pushing the teal-haired girl off of me and rubbing my head. However, Nikki was determined, and grabbed my ankle. She managed to drag me about 5 feet towards the door before I finally got out of her grip.

“Dude, just tell me what’s going on! Why are you trying to drag me out at 50 miles an hour?” I interrogated, picking Nikki up one-handed by her red overalls.

“I saw something in the woods that looked REALLY COOL! Buuut, you said I shouldn’t run off after possibly deadly forest cryptids without a partner, and nobody else will come with me, so you’re my only option left!” she explained, gesturing wildly. I arched an eyebrow at her, but sighed.

“Fine, I’ll go with you. Lemme get some breakfast first though, okay?” I begged, and the girl’s eyes filled with stars.

“Okay!”

 

Once I got my food, I decided to go to my tent to eat since getting ready for this little adventure would take less time if I was in there. As I ate my waffles, I heard a knock on the wall of my tent.

“State your name and business.” I jokingly called out to my visitor.

“It’s Neil, and I wanted to talk to you about something.” Neil said, his silhouette standing still in front of the tent flaps. 

“Come on in.” I said, and Neil entered, nervously holding his arms like he usually did. The kid must have anxiety or something…

“So what you wanna talk about?” I asked the jewish boy, patting the space next to me on my bed to let him know he could sit. He sat down next to me, and I realized in his arms was a collection of sciency trinkets such as tiny bottles of chemicals, nuts and bolts, and other things of those sorts.

“Well I overheard you and Nikki talking in the Mess Hall earlier. You two are going into the forest to look for that weird thing we saw, right?” Neil asked, fiddling with one of the mini bottles.

“Yeah, why you- wait, WE? As in you AND Nikki saw a thing in the forest?” I gasped in alarm, nearly dropping my food. I swiftly caught it and took a big bite, waiting for Neil’s answer.

“Yeah, Nikki and I both saw it. It’s a monster, I tell you!” he cried in sudden fear, standing up. I finished chewing and spoke.

“Okay okay, calm your tits and sit back down.” I advised, and the boy listened. He shakily sat down once again, and stared at his little science collection in his hands. I got up and crouched in front of him, making him look me in the eyes.

He look absolutely terrified

“Neil, what did you see that’s scaring you like this? Describe this thing to me, will ya?” I pleaded, and Neil reluctantly spoke.

“It was like… this tall, skinny, human-shaped figure just standing there next to a tree by the activities field. It was covered in these weird spike looking things. But here’s the thing. This thing was like an… like a dark, inky black with glowing purple eyes. And in the area that it was in, it felt… ice cold. I felt like I was about to die, just being in its line of vision… It had an… aura of sorts. One of…”

I felt my heart rate pick up with each and every word.

“An aura of something… evil? Dark? Hungry? Something that’s out hunting for a certain something?” I listed off, and Neil’s eyes widened in realization. He nodded profusely.

“That’s exactly it. I can’t believe you managed to put that into words…”

Oh God. If my suspicions were correct, this monster being seen meant that…

**He** was hunting me.

Flashbacks of Mom’s mutilated body raced through my mind, followed by  **his** malicious face, S/N screaming for help, the fire, the  **knife** .

I had completely forgot that Neil was talking to me.

I blinked in shock as Neil’s slim fingers snapped in front of my face. I blinked and realization and smiled apologetically at the boy.

“Sorry, I got lost in thought…” I apologized, rubbing my arm. Neil’s face softened, and he sighed.

“Okay, thanks for the honesty. But what I was TRYING to say was that I wanted to go with you and Nikki. Max doesn’t want to go because he thinks we’re ‘babies who need to grow up’, but I know what I saw, and-”

“You’re not going.” I sternly cut the boy off, staring intensely into his blue eyes. They widened in shock and betrayal.

“WHAT? Oh, so Nikki can go hunt for what could possibly be one of the most bizarre scientific discoveries ever, but I, the scientist of our group, can’t?!?” he angrily protested, waving his arms around.

I sighed “Nikki’s not going either.”

“WHAT?!?” the teal-haired girl suddenly yelled, storming into the tent. “WHY?!”

I glanced between the two enraged children, who seemed to freeze up at my sudden cold demeanor.

“I don’t know what you think is lurking in that forest, but from my experiences living in there, it’s something that you two don’t want to get involved with. You understand?” I scolded, standing up to my full height. Even Nikki seemed intimidated.

“Okay… but you seem to have a clue what this thing is. Why is that?” Neil asked, and I cringed at the memories of both my nightmares, and real life experiences I had with this thing. 

“...Let’s just say if I’m right about what this creature is, everyone here near and in the forest is in unspeakable danger.” I answered, slightly ignoring Neil’s question. He and Nikki gulped.

“What… do you mean?” Nikki nervously asked, and I glared at her.

“I mean exactly what I said.” I responded, and stared at the eaten tray of food on my bed. “And whatever you do, do NOT follow me. I don’t need you kids getting killed, alright?”

“...” the two were silent, making me glare at them again.

“Promise me that you WILL NOT follow me when I search for this thing.” I demanded, and they nodded. I smiled in relief and sighed.

“Thank you.”

 

Later that day, I was in my tent once again, preparing to leave. It was almost time for the sunset, and I was doing an inventory check with Neil, Nikki, and Max. Neil was naming off things I said I was going to bring, while Nikki and I dug through my bag and searched for the items. Max was being his usual self, sulking and leaning against a small table I managed to steal from the Flower Scouts around 2 weeks ago.

“Extra clothes?”

“Check.”

“First aid?”

“Check!”

“Extra food?”

“Check!”

“Uh, Bow and arrows?”

“OOH! CHECK!”

“...Cross…?”

“Check.”

Max suddenly groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation. “God, this is fucking stupid! Watch, this is going to be another Spooky Island-esque situation where the whole thing is a complete waste of time! This thing you saw DOESN’T. EXIST.”

I rolled my eyes, and ignored the boy.

“But F/N says that she’s had run-ins with this thing in the past! That PROVES that this thing could exist!” Nikki cried, pausing her search through my inventory.

“Ugh, whatever!” Max retorted, going back to leaning against the table. However, I noticed he had an uneasy aura as Neil continued to name off items.

“...So F/N, what are you gonna do if you happen to run into this thing anyways, which you won’t?” Max asked. I looked at him for a second, before turning my attention back to bag-searching.

“If this thing is what I think it is…” I spoke, carefully running my finger along the edge of my now uncovered knife, “I’m either going to kill it, or die trying. Either one is okay with me.”

Neil, Nikki, and Max looked at me in horror, pausing their activities.

“Jesus, is THAT why you don’t want anyone going along?” Neil asked, tightly gripping the clipboard he stole from the counselors’ office. It was overflowing with papers, probably unimportant.

“Not only that. If you were to come with me and I ended up too injured to move or dead, you wouldn’t be able to defend yourselves against this thing. It would kill you in an instant. And I’m not going to let that happen to you.” I answered.

“That is, if this thing is ‘what you think it is?’” Nikki added, and I nodded.

“Why do you need to kill it? What’s so bad about this thing?” Max asked.

“...I’d rather not answer that right now. But if you need to know some basics on why this thing needs to die, it’s because this thing is literally straight from hell, and it WILL kill anyone standing in the way of what it wants. But I have a chance at beating it, not gonna name why.” I answered.

“Okay, the last thing on this list is ‘The Knife’.” Neil pointed out, pointing his finger at the paper on top on the clipboard.

I lifted up my special knife, the silver blade glinting.

“Check.”

I shoved all the items back into my bag except for my knife and bow and arrows. I put the knife in my hoodie pocket, placed the arrows into the quiver Nikki found and put it on, and put the bow around my torso like a purse. Finally, I put on my backpack, adjusting the bow so I had easy access to it.

“All set.” I announced, placing my hands into my hoodie pockets and grabbing my knife, the familiar dark wood of the handle feeling smooth in my grip.

“Woah…” Nikki gasped in awe, eyes sparkling, “You look so badass!” I smiled at her, patting her back with the hand that wasn’t holding my blade.

“Hehe, thanks kiddo.”

“So, when are you leaving, then?” Max asked, boredly taking the clipboard out of Neil’s hands and casually flipping through.

I stuck my head out of the tent and looked at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, painting the world with hues of orange, pink, and purple.

“Now.” I replied, and walked out of the tent, leaving behind the speechless trio.

I was walking towards the trail when I suddenly felt a hook pick up the handle of my backpack, lifting me about 2 inches off the ground.

“And what do you think your doing?” the Quartermaster asked. From the corner of my eye, I could see Nikki, Neil, and Max standing there with fear-stricken faces. I stared at them for a second before switching my gaze to the old man holding me up.

“...Cryptid Hunting.” I answered, and the man stared at me, dark brown eyes seeming to scan my soul.

“...Stay safe.” he said, setting me down and suddenly placing into my hands a HUGE axe. Like, it was the same height as me. It was made of a very familiar wood, the blades of the axe a shiny silver with the exact same golden decals on the handle and hilt my knife had. I stared at the Quartermaster in awe, but flashed a huge grin.

“Thanks.”

And with that, I was headed off into the forest.

 

Nikki’s POV

Max, Neil, and I watched as F/N walked deeper into the forest, hiding behind the tents to avoid being seen by the Quartermaster. Once he left, Neil coughed to get our attention. Max and I turned to the boy, who was crouching.

“Okay, I know F/N’s older than all of us and she’s proven that she can handle herself alone out there, but I have a bad feeling she shouldn’t be out there by herself with this kind of situation…” the curly haired boy whispered to us, not taking his eyes off the trails in front of us. I frantically nodded.

“Yeah! We can’t just let her go off alone in the forest at night with some demon or something running around! That would make us awful friends!” I added. Max stared at Neil and I before awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

“Look guys, I want to go after her too, but from what it sounds like, she doesn’t want us to go for OUR sake. Besides, didn’t you guys make a promise to her or something that you wouldn’t follow her?” the indian boy asked, and I stared at him in disbelief. Normally, Max would be desperate to do something like this. Also, so was I. I scowled at the two boys in front of me.

“Yeah we did promise her that, but this could be serious! It would really be an adventure! Like, a REAL one!” I reasoned, scenarios wildly rushing around through my head. “Can you imagine it? Finding an injured F/N in the middle of the forest, fending off a beast for her life, and we rush in and save her! OOH! Or, we find the beast together and kill it! OOH! Or-”

My daydreams were cut off by Neil.

“No, Nikki! I don’t know what monster you think is in there, but if F/N thinks its death is crucial for our survival, then we should probably stay out of her way.” Neil challenged, pointing at the darkening forest in front of us. In order to settle the argument, we looked at Max, who usually decided for us.

The boy noticed Neil and I’s eyes on him, and sighed.

“I’m gonna be honest, I don’t think we should go, so I’m not.” Max said, and Neil smirked at me triumphantly. I stared at Max in betrayal, before angrily stomping.

“Fine! I’ll go after F/N by myself!” I declared, before shoving past the two and taking off into the forest.

“NIKKI, WAIT!” I heard Neil call after me.

“STOP! ARE YOU SUICIDAL OR SOMETHING!” Max yelled.

I ignored the two of them, grinning in victory as I heard their voices fade away, the sounds of nature surrounding me. I smiled and took a deep breath, before looking around and taking in my surroundings.

I froze in fear.

Okay, maybe going alone WAS a bad idea.

It was nearly pitch black in the forest, as well as cold. I nervously pulled my hands to my chest in an attempt to retain some body heat. I held my breath and listened for any signs of movement, and almost teared up in joy when I heard familiar footsteps. They seemed to be 80 feet ahead of me, so I began to run as fast as I could down the trail. I only slowed down when the footsteps stopped or slowed down as well. Soon, I was quietly trailing behind the girl I was searching for. The one and only F/N.

As she walked, I noticed she was beginning to head off the trail, the sound of crunching leaves filling my ears. I looked at her nervously, but I followed her anyways, keeping myself hidden from the H/C girl by hiding behind trees and crouching next to bushes. This pattern continued for a while, before the trees around us suddenly opened up to a large clearing of light blue flowers that almost seemed to glow in the moonlight. Just as I was about to switch trees to hide behind, F/N suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around, her E/C eyes glinting with a wild emotion that I’ve never seen before, especially not on her S/C face.

She was completely silent, as was I. I stood behind the tree, frozen, and waited for her to keep walking.

But she didn’t.

“...I know you’re there.” F/N’s soft but threatening voice drifted into my ears, and I frowned in guilt, before revealing myself. 

F/N’s eyes widened in shock, before she scowled at me in anger and disappointment.

“I thought I told you to NOT follow me. You even promised!” she scolded, her long H/C hair falling into her face a bit. I guiltily stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact.

I twiddled my thumbs, kicking around some dirt and leaves. “I know… I’m sorry…” I sniffled, before looking up at her face. “It was just… I didn’t want you to be all alone in here… If this thing we’re looking for is truly as dangerous as you say, then I don’t think fighting it alone is a good idea, you know?”

F/N stared at me with a grave face, before it turned to one of sorrow and understanding. “...I see your perspective. And I get it. But…” she paused her speaking to reach into her hoodie and pull out her knife, the zig-zag shaped silver blade reflecting the moonlight like a mirror. It almost looked magical. I flinched as F/N suddenly grabbed my arm and gently placed the handle of the knife in my grip, the wood feeling unusually smooth in my hands.

“...If you make me regret not taking you back to camp like I really should be doing right now, I’m gonna kick your ass. You hear me?” she growled with false anger. I looked at the knife in my hands.

The blade was made of silver, and had a zig-zag shape to it. It looked unbelievably sharp, as if it could cut through anything like it was soft butter. The handle was made of a polished dark wood. It felt great in my hand. The hilt of the blade was a golden color, as was the decal at the bottom of the handle. They were really shiny and smooth.

I finally looked F/N in the eye and grinned.

“I won’t let you down! Lead the way, Captain!” I giggled, bouncing on my feet. The girl gave me an amused smile before taking my hand and leading the way.

We walked into the clearing, walking along a faint trail of dirt through the thousands of flowers surrounding us. Above us, the moon looked huge, and was giving the clearing a mystical feeling. Suddenly, F/N stopped and sat down. I looked at her questioningly, but did the same. I didn’t realize the flowers were so tall. When we sat down, they towered a few feet above our heads, blocking out a few stars in the sky.

“What are we doing here?” I asked F/N, who was examining the axe that the Quartermaster gave her. 

“We’re waiting for the monster. Things like that if I remember correctly enjoy wide open spaces to stay in. Plus with an area like this, it gives us plenty of space to fight and rest if we need to.” the girl answered, carefully running her index finger along the edge of the axe head. I hummed in thought.

“Makes sense.”

And so we waited.

 

We sat there for a few minutes, just doing our own thing. F/N was still studying the axe, and I had picked one of the flowers and took it apart, checking out what was inside. All was quiet.

Until we heard the sound of crunching leaves nearby. F/N perked up and grabbed me, pulling me off the trail and into the field of flowers we were sitting in. We crouched down and waited some more, F/N gripping the axe tightly with both hands.

Soon, we saw it.

Its tall, lanky, and dark body was unmistakable, as it seemed to blend in with the night sky. Purple glowing eyes, whipped around, trying to find something. I felt F/N tap my shoulder and I looked at her.

“Okay, here’s the plan. I’m gonna slash this thing from behind, so we can kill it as fast as possible. Your job is to distract it.” she whispered, not taking her eyes off the creature. It hasn’t noticed us yet, thank God.

“What do I do?” I asked as quietly as I could.

“It’ll only attack you if you attack it, or you have something it wants.” she answered, before tapping the knife I had put in the chest pocket on my overalls for safe keeping. “To put it simply, keep this thing hidden. Hide it or give it to me.”

I thought for a moment. If this monster will attack me for having this knife on me, then I shouldn’t have it.

I handed the knife to F/N, who smiled and nodded. “Go get ‘em, tiger.” she said.

I smiled back at the girl, and slowly crept through the flowers, trying to get ahead of the monster walking along the trail. I froze when its eyes would look in my direction, hues of an evil purple staring through me. However, I finally did it. I managed to get around 10 feet ahead of the monster. I stared out at the trail and gulped, choking down any fear or anxiety I was feeling at the moment. I took a deep breath, and carefully stepped out into the open, revealing myself to the monster.

The moment I even freed a foot from the flowers, the creature’s purple eyes landed on me, and an odd grumble emitted from its throat. I froze and looked up at it, shivering at the air which seemed to get way colder than a usual Summer night. 

“U-Uh, hi!” I greeted the dark entity, nervously waiting. It only stared at me, no expression. I shakily stuck my hand out to shake.

“I’m Nikki! I’ve never seen you in this clearing before. What’s your name?” I asked. I noticed F/N was out of the flowers, only moving whenever I spoke. She was holding the axe with an iron grip, her eyes gleaming with concentration.

I jolted a bit when the creature stuck out a large and spindly hand, wrapping its needle-like fingers around my own.

“Ş̴̹̖̂e̶̯̘̮̞͛̽̄ṯ̷̮̠̀a̴̟͎̪̋ͅb̴̧̿͐.̷̖̗̯̌͌̊” the creature said, words almost incomprehensible. Whenever it spoke, it was like nails against chalkboard combined with thousands of soft whispers. I had never heard anything like it before.

“Oooh! I like it! I couldn’t really understand you, but whatever it is, it sounds cool with the voice type you have!” I complemented, letting to of its hand. It had felt almost nonexistent, like I had been holding onto air. Extremely cold air, to be exact.

“So anyways, what are you doing out here for? It’s late at night, and there’s only a few camps around the edge of the forest. Are you looking for something?” I asked the creature, and it perked up. I saw its mouth open to speak. There were rows and rows of knife-like teeth, which were pitch black. The rest of the mouth however, was glowing an ominous purple just like the creature’s eyes.

 

“R̵̡̘͌̈ͅe̷̦̻͒ͅľ̵͉̝͕̆͝ạ̶̞̄̾͒ė̶̢̟͉̬ṭ̶͒ş̵̩̲̼̾̈́̉ ̶̖̦͚̩̀̽L̵̨̜̩͙̃͗͝u̸͖͒̔̈́͘ö̷̢͉̥s̵̉̌̈́̕ͅ ̶̡̂ĕ̸͙͇̻ḥ̴͕̎ṭ̴͎̈́͒̅̅ ̷͇͕̬̾͑̚s̴̻͎̫̋ͅả̴͎͓͕̟ ̴̲̹̼n̶̬͙̰̣̎̐w̷̛̱o̷̡̺͇͎̾̽n̴͈̒̌̃̊k̵̹͖̯̐̒͜͠͝ ̴̨͈̮̗͐c̵̯̹̾ȋ̴͖l̵̘̆̆̌̚e̴̛̮̬̺͍̊r̵̢̫̊͘ ̴̭̓̒̀ẹ̶̣̳͓͆ḫ̶̨͋t̷̥̀̑ ̸̨̛̜͗͝ŗ̸̰̞͈̓̾̈́͗ơ̷̧̢̜͊̌̔f̵̥̼̀͐̒͌ ̴̪̣̈́͘g̸̢͎̬̚n̶̝̘̣͉̒̆i̶̧̼̲̳͊͋̈́̉ḥ̴̦̙̾̀̉c̸̣͍̹̙̔̃͠r̴̥̝͙͋a̶͒̿̃͂ͅe̷̥̺̜͎͝ș̸͋̋̉͠ ̴̡͕̳̭̒m̷̩̪͍̊͝a̴̬͔̝͐̏̀ ̸̻̯̦͎̅̕͝Î̸̥̲̝̅̀.̵̯͛̆͜ Y̸̝̼͎̝͝l̸̯̰̣̮̈́ȇ̸̜̗̊t̴͇͍̎̎͜a̶͚̎͜i̸̧̅d̸͕̜̊̆ͅè̵̜͙͝m̷̞̓͌m̷̧̅̃i̸̺̣̽͋ͅ ̷̨̠̦͍̃͑̔L̴̟͈̖͉̏̿̏e̴̟̣̾ī̸̘͍̲̥͛n̸̢̕͜͠a̴̘͠d̶̘͚͔͖͋̾̐͘ ̸̧͇͆̕Ŗ̶̥͚̗͆͛e̶̪̊͑̊̚t̶̯̔̇̈́̕s̶͈͍̘̆̈̐͜a̶̮̞̜̭̓͝m̸̩̹̣͍̃̈́͘ ̸̡̛̺͇͇̀͝o̴̡͙̰̾̉͝t̸̢̹̓ ̸͓̽d̸̫̥̙͛e̴̬͊̀̄̕n̴̢͔͍̻͑̒͛̅ŗ̸͔͊u̴̱̹͔̬̐͝t̸͓̿̎́͠e̸͇͕̾̋͆r̴̫̂̚͝ ̵̯̦̜̯̎͌ě̶͓̣͐͠b̷̢͉̥̫̈́̈́͝ ̶̲̹̪̦̄̐̈́̕t̷̬͓̻̎̋s̸̯͇̗̉̑̆u̷̢̹͔͠ͅm̵̠̹͕͂̆͝ ̵̼̟̙͝t̴̼̺̋͋a̶̪̜͕͠h̸̯̬͙͖̊̆t̸͚͌͊͝ ̴̠̭̭̖̂̐͝n̵͔͐̔̋o̴̦̻̪̔̈͘p̵̢̱̥̦̈́a̴̠̲̔e̵͎͓̳̱̅w̵̧̰̯̽̓̽̿ ̴̯̙͇̎͊l̵̯̳̯̮̃́̓u̸͕̮̬̼̓f̵͉͎̩͙͊̉̉͒ŗ̷̉͝͠ę̶̢̡̋͌̄w̶͇̎͗́͘o̴̞̅͂p̷̱̼̳͕̍͂̚ ̴͉̄͛ȳ̷̯̙̺͍r̶̙̎͗̇͠e̴͖͆̈́̄̊v̵̤͌͐ ̴͙̹̖̲̇̕a̷̰͕͑ ̸͚̳̯̏̽̈s̴̳̞͂̎͝͝į̷̽̔̚ ̵̢͙̃̎͘t̷̢̳̹͛̿͊i̷͙̿ R̵̳̓̌̉͘ḛ̵̲̝̖͂̋̔̄f̸̰̗͗̐͘̚f̶̨̜̺̺͊̀́ů̸̗̥̱̍̑̿s̴̢͎̟̓ ̷̢͔̝̘̎͠͝ǫ̸̲̜̈̈́͘t̴̮͖̤͐̒ ̵̪̦̤̿̌̃̕L̶̩̼̤̈́l̴͙̠̿͜e̴̫͛̎͘h̶̬̻͗̏̈́ ̷̧͖̫̂̍o̸̩̞̻͛͑̎̓t̸͈̱̥̅̈ͅ ̷̼̬͠k̴̮̋̈͜c̶̛̦͍̘̩ă̶̼͔̲b̷̘̗̠͔͆ ̴̛̠̦̳̎́t̵͇̎͛ǹ̸̼̯e̷̝͉͗́̋͋ṣ̵̥̄̕̚͝ ̸̳͝ê̶̡̟b̵̛̥̣̥͑̀̈́ ̴̥͕̼̈ḻ̶̦͌l̷̝̮̦̝̀̃̚'̸̝̚Ȋ̶͔̩̗̭̑̔ ̶̦̰̾̽̆ͅṟ̶̠̖͔͗͋o̴̢͉̒̂̿ ̴̨̮̈́̑̋,̸̢̡͙͓̃n̴̻̲̻̈́w̵̗͉͉̍͑͘ơ̵͕d̸̗͚̮̈́̆̀ ̶̡̓̀͠͝m̸̳̓ͅi̵̛͇ḧ̶̹͖́͌̚͜͠ ̷̧̛̥͍̈́̐t̷̩̄̄ẻ̷̡̹͍̙͐͐l̷̢̙͚̝͑̂̎ ̵͇̪̭͇̃t̴͖͙̀ō̵͎̜̳͌̄͝n̷͍̱̬̆̈́̓̽ ̷̧̲̻̖̆̈̈́̄n̴͖͎͙̙͗̑̅̓a̸̠̝͝c̴̯̋̂ ̷̣̄Ǐ̷̹̉̾͋.̴͕͙̼̗̇̋̌ Ȇ̷͍͖̟̾m̷̨̳̖̔̿ͅ ̸̙́͘p̶͓̫̄̒̌̅l̵̢̺͌̒́͝e̸̙̦̹̠̔̓̚͠h̴̛̔ͅ ̸͔̘̘͐̒̊u̷̢̦͖͑̀̉̉ö̸̙̞́̊͌̚y̷͚͓͉̋͛̽ ̶̮̭̩̈́ͅl̸͖̽͂̽l̶̖̟̙̹̑͌͠ǐ̵̘͗̚w̶̝͑͝?̶̺͕”

 

F/N was now about 10 feet behind the creature, axe at the ready. Damn, she was fast. I didn’t understand a word the creature said. It was like it was speaking backwards or something.

I shrugged. “I… didn’t understand a word you just said. Are you able to speak regular English?” I asked, and F/N jumped at the creature’s back, swinging the axe downwards.

It was a critical hit.

I jumped back as the monster fell forward, a large and more than likely fatal slash across its back that went from the back of its head, down the neck, and ending at its lower back. The creature shrieked, before turning its head 180 degrees. It seemed to flinch away at the sight of F/N and the axe, which was now covered in a luminous, gooey, purple substance. She lifted the axe to finish the creature off, but it kicked her square in the stomach, sending her flying away 6 feet. She dropped the axe as she rolled away, holding her stomach in pain.

The creature stood up to its full height and looked at me, narrowing its eyes. I gave it a nervous smile before suddenly sprinting beneath the creatures legs and towards F/N, who was slowly but surely standing up. I noticed the knife had fallen out of wherever she kept it, and dove for it on the ground.

I must’ve dove just in time, because I felt wind rush behind me, and I turned, the knife clenched tightly in my hands. The creature had rushed and swiped at me with its large claws, but failed to actually cut me.

F/N snatched her axe off the ground like lightning and hacked at the monsters leg, successfully slicing it off and making the evil entity fall to the ground. It shrieked in agony, more purple liquid flowing from its wounds.

“NIKKI, NOW! GET THE EYES!” F/N commanded, and I looked at the creature. It was holding its leg in pain, eyes wide open and vulnerable. I smirked, and rushed towards the being, preparing the knife.

“You got it!” I replied, jumping at the creature and slashing at its pupils.

I did it! I had managed to fatally shove the knife into its head, causing more of its blood to spill. However, in a final attempt to get me off of it, it wildly swung its claws, efficiently cutting both F/N and I. I slammed into her, holding the knife close to my chest, and we were knocked away from the dying monster.

After getting over my dizziness, I realized that I was laying on top of F/N, who had her eyes squeezed shut in pain. I rolled off the girl and groaned, before sitting up.

The knife was fine, and so was the axe, though they were both covered in monster blood. I looked myself over. I only had one major scratch on my arm that was bleeding a little bit, but a little Neosporin and some band aids could fix it in a pinch. To my right, F/N groaned and sat up, gripping her axe and brushing the hair out of her face.

This revealed a long scratch on her right cheek that lead from just under her eye to her jaw, as well as a bruised lip. 

“Yikes, F/N! Are you okay?” I asked the girl, crawling over to her. Her E/C eyes looked into my pink ones, and she gave me a small smile and a thumbs up.

“I’m good.”

I helped her stand up, putting the knife into my pocket. She leaned on her axe and stared ahead of us with a look of shock on her face. I raised an eyebrow at her and looked in the direction she was looking, and gasped.

The monster had completely vanished, leaving behind nothing but a broken black horn sticking out of the ground. We cautiously walked towards it, before F/N picked it up. It seemed to pulse with some weird purple energy that made a chill run down my spine.

“...That was easier than I thought it would be, to be honest.” she muttered, stuffing the horn into her bag. She also grabbed the knife out of my pocket and put it in as well.

I grinned at her and cheered, jumping up and down. “WOOO! THAT WAS AWESOME! Cryptid hunting is the BEST!” 

She smiled and took my hand so we wouldn’t get separated at we walked back to camp.

“You know, it really was.”


	13. Notes and houses and shit like that are found lmao

Max’s POV

 

“STOP! ARE YOU SUICIDAL OR SOMETHING!” I called out to Nikki as she ran into the forest, disappearing from my line of sight.

Next to me, Neil began to grip his hair in panic. “Oh gosh, oh gosh! What do we do?!” he cried out. Behind us, footsteps could be heard.

“What are you two talking about? What happened?” Gwen asked, glancing between Neil and I.

Neil and I looked at each other, and looked at Gwen. I nervously scratched the back of my head while Neil shuffled his feet.

“Well you see, Gwen, we, uh-”

“F/N AND NIKKI WENT INTO THE WOODS TO HUNT FOR A MONSTER WE SAW AND THEY MIGHT NOT COME BACK!” Neil cut me off guiltily, and Gwen’s eyes widened.

“F/N and Nikki ran off into the woods? By THEMSELVES?!” Gwen yelled, panicked as well. Suddenly, she ran off towards the counselor’s cabins.

I looked at Neil in disdain. “Neil, what the fuck! You ratted us out!” I bellowed, grabbing the front of his sweater and shaking him.

“I’m sorry! It’s just that with a situation like this, I don’t think lying about what happened is gonna do any good!” Neil admitted, clutching his sleeves in nervousness. I sighed and let go of Neil’s sweater. 

“I guess…”

“Max! Neil!” I heard David call to us. I groaned in discontentment, and turned to David and Gwen, who had backpacks, flashlights, lanterns, and knives. 

“What do you two want?” I asked, crossing my arms in annoyance. Gwen looked at me with an urgent look on her face.

“We need you and Neil to help us look for Nikki and F/N, even if it’s just telling us the general direction they went in.” she answered, tucking the knife into her shorts. Neil and I looked at each other and shrugged.

“F/N and Nikki went into that trail over there. And knowing F/N, she probably went off of it after a while.” Neil answered while pointing at the darkened trail, and I nodded in agreement. David whimpered in fear for Nikki and F/N’s life at Neil’s answer, nibbling at his nails. Gwen took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm her nerves.

“Okay, okay, I’m sure they couldn’t have gotten far. We’ll just get in there, find the two, and get back. Simple…” Gwen assured, more to herself than to David.

David took a deep breath like Gwen, and faced towards the trail. “Alright Gwen, there’s no time to lose. Let’s go save F/N and Nikki!” he announced, pointing at the trail and marching towards it with false confidence. Gwen looked at us, then to David, and reluctantly followed.

“Don’t do anything stupid while we’re gone!” she called out to us before she disappeared into the forest with David.

 

Neil and I went back to F/N’s tent. I layed on her bed while Neil sat on her table, flipping through the counselor’s clipboard.

“I wonder what F/N needed all this stuff for… If it’s just a small hunt, why would she need shit like this?” Neil asked, scanning the paper he was looking at.

“I still think you, F/N, and Nikki are crazy for thinking there’s something in there, but it is pretty weird she brought all that shit with her. Like, that iron necklace? It doesn’t make any sense…” I agreed, stealing the clipboard from Neil’s grasp. I decided to flip through all the papers, trying to get rid of the boredom slowly creeping up on me. No papers caught my eye, except for one.

“F/N notes by Gwen and David? What the fuck?” I grunted, staring intently at the title on the lined notebook paper.

“Wait, what?! Let me see!” Neil said, jumping off the table and sitting next to me on the bed. I handed him the clipboard and he grabbed it, reading through everything on the piece of paper. I grew uneasy as his face slowly turned from one of curiosity to one of shock and alarm.

“Jesus christ…” he mumbled. I shook him.

“What! What does it say?” I interrogated, trying to peek over Neil’s shoulder.

“This is… a literal list of things about F/N. It has her traits, hobbies, background, relationships, even her mentality!” he responded, taking the piece of paper off of the clipboard. I stared at the paper in awe, and disgust.

“I knew David and Gwen were pretty bad counselors, but this is a level of creepy I didn’t know they could reach.” I commented, “And some of this stuff isn’t even correct.”

“Yeah. Why would they even make something like this anyways? There aren’t any notes on the other campers either. Why just F/N?” Neil spoke, holding his head in thought.

I furrowed my eyebrows, a plan forming in my mind.

“We’re gonna find out.”

 

Gwen’s POV

 

“Oh Jesus, I hope those kids are okay…” I murmured to myself, my mind going over every possible outcome that could happen. F/N and Nikki could be dead for all we knew, and it’s been around an hour since we’ve left the camp. David and I had checked most of the trails with no sign of the kids. The only trail left to check was…

“Oh dear, don’t tell me they went down the Forbidden trail…” David whimpered in fear next to me, jumping with a squeak at the sound of crunching leaves in the distance. We froze, and listened intently.

…

The sound was getting closer.

“F/N? Nikki?” David called out, shaking slightly. I grabbed his hand in an attempt to soothe the poor man, listening as the footsteps got closer and closer. However, in a moment of realization, I broke into a cold sweat.

“David…” I whispered, “I don’t think that’s a human…”

David scoffed, trying to hide his obvious fear. “What do you mean? Of course it is! Listen, there’s only two feet with these footsteps, so it has to be human…”

The footsteps were getting louder and closer. With each step the unknown thing took, the air around us got colder and colder.

“David, those footsteps are too heavy to be human, and they’re especially not F/N or Nikki’s. I think we need to get out of here.” I scolded, tugging on David’s arm. He looked at me, forest green eyes illuminated by our flashlights. They were full of fear. Then, he looked towards the direction of the noise, the footsteps getting waaay too close for comfort.

“...Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get out of here.” He gave in, and I grinned in relief.

However, that relief didn’t last long.

A sudden blast of cold air had surrounded us, so cold to a point I could actually see my breath. There was also the sound of whispering, like thousands of people whispering at once. I shined my flashlight in the direction of the noise and froze in fear.

Two glowing purple eyes were staring at David and I from the brush. I felt my heart rate quicken, as well as my breathing. David and I could only watch in horror as the creature stepped out of the brush and onto the trail, revealing it in its entirety.

It was a pitch black creature that was extremely skinny, though twice as tall as David. It was covered in spikes and horns that seemed to blend in with the darkness. It had large hands attached to slim arms, the hands having long, needle like fingers. And finally, it had its glowing purple eyes and mouth, filled with thousands of rows of sharp, glowing, purple teeth.

David and I stood there, staring at the creature with open mouths. It only stared back.

“...Hey Gwen…?” David’s nearly nonexistent voice squeaked.

“...Yeah...?” I answered, just as fearful as the redhead next to me.

“Didn’t Neil say something about a monster that those two were looking for…?”

“...”

And with that, we sprinted away from the creature as fast as we humanely could, accidentally dropping our flashlights in the process. We ran towards the safest trail, but the monster materialized in front of us. David and I screamed, before running in the other direction towards the other trails. The air around us kept getting colder and colder, and I felt tears brim in my eyes. I didn’t want to die. Not like this.

We ran to every single trail, only for the monster to be there. I gulped in fear as David and I came upon the Forbidden trail, expecting the monster to appear.

But it didn’t.

“Welp, the Forbidden trail it is.” I muttered to myself before grabbing David’s wrist and pulling him with me into the darkness of the old pathway.

David and I had ran off the trail, trying to get as much distance from that thing as we could. We had grabbed hands in order to avoid getting lost, but it proved to be our downfall.

Literally.

I looked behind me to see if the creature was following us, only to trip on a tree root and stumble, dragging David down with me. We went tumbling down a steep hill, our bodies slamming against trees, bushes, and basically everything to slam against. By the time gravity was done fucking us over, we were dizzy and beaten up. 

“Ughhh… G-Gwen…? Are you still there…?” David’s weak voice called out from my right. I sat up and rubbed my head, groaning.

“Here…” I responded, voice raspy from screaming. I felt David’s soft hand feel my knee, which was more than likely bleeding from rolling down a hill.

“Oh golly Gwen, you’re bleeding…” David said, confirming my suspicions. I slowly stood up, trying to make sense of where we were. We seemed to be in a fairly open area, since moonlight could be seen. I noticed David hadn’t stood up yet. He was staring off into the distance. I quirked an eyebrow.

“David? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked, crouching down next to the male. He shakily lifted up a scratched up hand and pointed into the distance.

“What…” I cut myself off when my eyes followed his hand and widened at the sight before us.

It was a HUGE tree. The trunk was really thick at the bottom, and up high in the branches was a makeshift clothesline with familiar shirts on it as well as a white bedsheet. There was also a large plastic canopy. Hanging off one of the branches was a swing made from old rope and a small slab of wood. In the bottom of a trunk, a colorful woven mat could be seen hanging over a hole.

David and I had just stumbled upon a secret hideout. We looked at each other in shock, before looking back at the large organism in front of us. David stood up beside me, helping me up from my crouch, and we cautiously walked towards it.

“Do you think there’s anyone inside?” David asked, lightly pushing the swing.

I nervously walked towards the mat that was hanging on the side of the tree and lifted it, revealing a room inside the tree that seemed large enough to fit about three people if they crawled. In the middle of the room was a mini fire pit, stones forming a ring around some sand and lightly charred sticks. To the right of the fire pit was a series of small shelves made from tree bark. There was a rolled up piece of paper on it, tied together with a string of dead grass. There were also a few trinkets on it, such as a stopwatch (which wasn’t working), an old stone knife that was terribly chipped, and some small stick figurines. To the left of the fire pit was a metal bucket, which was full of water. The water probably tasted metallic from being in a metal bucket for who knows how long. Behind the fire pit was a bunch of drawings on old construction paper tacked to the wall. They ranged from scenery, to people, to animals. There was also some writing, but it was hard to read in the dark. To the left of the entrance was a large pile of dead leaves. It was probably used as a bed. And in order to see all of this, there was a fairly big hole burned into the ceiling that went straight through to the top of the trunk, exposing the room to the moon’s gentle light.

“David, get in here. There’s a fire pit and a bucket of water in here. I’m sure it’s much safer in here.” I called out to the man before crawling into the space. It was actually surprisingly comfortable. I leaned against the dirt wall, taking off my backpack and placing it next to me. As I rummaged through the bag, David decided to join me inside. He pulled open the flap and took a seat next to me, before looking around and taking in the sight.

“It’s pretty nice in here… Much nicer than I expected…” David commented and I nodded, letting out a tiny “yesss” as I found the matches. I grabbed some of the sticks off of the shelves and placed them in the fire pit as well as some kindling in here as well, before lighting a match and tossing it into the fire pit. Almost immediately, we had a nice warm fire that cast a calming orange light over everything.

As David stared into the fire, I let my eyes wander around the room. My eyes kept going to the now legible writing on the papers tacked to the wall. I sighed and grabbed one of the many papers, only intending to quickly skim over it.

However, my interest had been piqued when I realized it was a diary entry.

 

_ Day: 18 _

_ Date: October 19, 2013 _

_ Location: Campbell Mansion, Spooky Island _

_ My current age: 10 years old _

 

_ Dear Diary, _

_ It’s been a few weeks since I’ve met Jasper, and he’s proving to be really helpful! When we first met, I had escaped Daniel after he tried to kill me again. I was hurt really bad. I managed to steal a canoe from Camp Campbell and row out to Spooky Island, where he’d never find me. However, since I was injured, I was really weak and tired. But Jasper found me and took me into the mansion I’m in now and helped heal me! It turns out he’s a ghost. Like, a literal ghost. Apparently, he died when he was 10 (like me!) after he mistook some TNT in a cave for some flares to see with. You’d think he’d be angry and vengeful, but he’s actually really nice! Today, he showed me some new things about the mansion, like a secret laboratory, an attic, even some HUGE money stashes! I may or may not have taken some, hehe! But so far, everything is A OK! If only S/N and mom were alive to see this. I really miss them… _

_ With love, _

_ F/N L/N _

 

I felt my heart rate quicken, especially at the name. Was this the same F/N at Camp Campbell? It couldn’t be… I had picked her up at the froyo shop in the middle of the city. There’s no possible way…

“Gwen? Are you okay, you’re really pale…” David’s concerned voice cut me off from my thoughts. I gripped my bangs with one hand, trying to make sense of this. I sighed, and handed the piece of paper over to David.

“Read it. Tell me what you think.” I ordered, staring into the fire for a second before going back to the wall and grabbing all the diary entries I could find.

I looked at all the dates, and put them in order of earliest to most recent in a stack while David read the entry. When he was done, I grabbed the paper out of his hand and put it in its rightful spot in the pile, according to date. When I was done, I sighed in slight satisfaction.

“Alright, now that these entries are in order, we should be able to make sense of this shit.” I mumbled to David, who was staring at the ground in disbelief. I looked at him in worry.

“David? What did you think?” I asked him, and he looked at me sadly, eyes full of grief.

“Do you think the F/N that was mentioned is… OUR F/N? From camp? Because if so, I think we’ll have a lot of work to do…” he answered, eyes travelling to the rolled up piece of paper on the shelves. He grabbed it, rolling it around his hands.

“What do you mean, work?” I asked, grabbing the earliest diary entry from the stack. It was from the 1st of October, 2013.

“It said something about some man named Daniel who tried to kill her, as well as her dead mother and sister. And with her age in that entry, she probably has some emotional and mental issues to work out that go along with that. And… I want to help her with that, if that’s the case.” David admitted, staring into the fire, still messing with the rolled up paper.

“Do you mean, like… adopting her? Because with a situation like this, she probably doesn’t have any parents that care about her. She’s alone…” I said softly, feelings of sorrow and pity filling my chest.

“...If that’s what it takes, then sure…” David answered quietly, poking at the fire with one of the shelf sticks, “Just as long as she’s happy…”

I looked at David, eyes wide at his answer. Was he even real? He was way too kind-hearted to exist. There’s no way…

I felt tears brim in my eyes again. I set down the diary entry I was going to read, before crawling over to David. He looked at me, expression quizzical.

“Gwen? Wha-”

I cut him off with a hug, my arms wrapped tightly around his torso and my chin resting on his shoulder. I was sitting on my knees which was probably going to get the scrapes infected, but I didn’t care.

“...I have no idea how you’re able to be this caring, but goddammit, I support it…” I sniffled, a few tears escaping my eyes. I felt David slowly hug me back, arms resting around my mid back. 

“...Do you mean caring about just F/N, or people in general?” David said with a slightly joking tone. It really lightened up the mood, even if it was just by a little bit.

I chuckled, wiping a few tears off my face. “I guess, both?” 

“Well…” David began, and I released him from my embrace, opting to sit next to him instead. “I care for people because I think everyone deserves to have someone care, you know? It’s one of the reasons why I became a camp counselor in the first place…”

“And what about F/N?” I asked, and David smiled softly, eyes staring into the warm light of the campfire in front of us.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed already, but if you haven't… F/N is much different from the other campers. She helps us take care of the other campers even when it isn’t her job. She gives us legitimate advice for our own personal problems. It’s like she can read us like books, and she uses that to help us, instead of bring us down. Not only do I care for her because she’s a camper, I care for her because SHE cares, Gwen. She cares about the state of Camp Campbell, she cares about the campers, and she cares about US. And I want to return to her all that she’s giving without pay. You know?” David confessed, and I nodded in understanding, staring at the rolled up paper in his hands.

Suddenly, reality hit me, and I gripped my head in guilt.

“Oh no… Oh God…” I gasped in fear. Immediately, David had a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down.

“Gwen? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he interrogated, and I looked up at him.

“That… THING is still wandering the forest, David! And we haven't found F/N or Nikki yet!” I cried, and David’s face went pale.

“Oh good golly… You’re right… We gotta-”

“WOOO! Did you see the way I slashed that thing in the eyes?!” A familiar voice echoed through the forest.

“Yeah, dude! It was fuckin SICK! I should let you borrow my knives more often.” another familiar voice replied. David and I looked at each other in awe and glee. However, I suddenly remembered the diary entries I had taken off the wall. I grabbed the stack and shoved it into my bag, before snatching the rolled up paper from David’s hands and putting it in as well. I zipped up my backpack before whispering to David.

“Let’s go.” I said, before silently crawling out of the small room we had found. David nodded and poured some water onto the campfire to extinguish it before following me.

As we emerged from the hole, I could see F/N and Nikki carefully walking down the hill we rolled down. They seemed to be covered in a glowing substance that was an oddly familiar shade of purple. They were also slightly beaten up.

F/N had a long cut that went from just below her right eye to her jaw, as well as a bruised lip. Her long, calf-length hair was tousled, knotted in some parts. There were even small sticks and leaves that could be seen sticking out of the strands in some areas. I’d have to check her head for ticks later. There was also three long slices along her sweatshirt, revealing the green t shirt beneath. She was holding a large axe and using it as a walking stick, which was also covered in the glowing purple goo.

Nikki was beaten up, but not nearly as bad as F/N. She only had a tiny scratch on her chin and on her arm, though her overalls looked like they were going to fall apart any second. 

“Hey F/N, why are we coming here again?” Nikki asked her, carefully stepping over a tree root. I noticed Nikki was holding onto F/N’s arm. Did she hurt her leg, or was it just to know where she was in the dark?

“I just wanna check up on it and see how it’s doing. Camp Campbell is a summer camp, not a winter, spring, or fall camp. And it’s not like I’m going home with a camper or counselor or anything. You know?” F/N replied, and I tensed up in realization.

It was OUR F/N who lived here. Who wrote the diary entries. She had to be. Without thinking, I spoke.

“F-F/N…? Nikki?” I called out, and F/N froze, her eyes going wide with panic. She held her axe with both hands, and got into a defensive position. Nikki got on all fours and growled like a dog.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” F/N fiercely commanded. I looked at David, who was frozen. I leaned in and whispered into his ear.

“Let’s wait to talk to her about this. I don’t think she trusts us enough to tell us about this yet.” I suggested, and he nodded in agreement.

Finally, after swallowing my fears, I gently grabbed David’s wrist and walked us out into the open, revealing ourselves to the two girls.

When they saw us, Nikki nervously stood up, and looked at F/N. F/N had let her arms go slack, but still held the axe with her hands. She was staring at David and I with a mixture of shock, anxiety, and guilt.

“...Gwen? David? What are you two doing here…?” she asked, her eyes nervously flitting back and forth.

“...Neil and Max told us about your little late night monster hunt, so we went to find you before you got killed. But it looks like you found us…” I responded, slowly stepping towards the two girls. F/N stepped back the more I advanced, so I stopped. Yeah, she obviously didn’t trust us right now.

We stood there in an awkward silence for a few moments,until David decided to speak.

“Well, I’m glad everyone’s safe, and not fatally injured. How about we head back to camp? Where there’s lights? And easy access to food and water?” the tall man suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement.

And with that, we took off. I noticed David had taken a picture of the tree with his phone while F/N and Nikki weren’t looking. Soon, we were back on the trail due to F/N’s knowledge of the land.

“So Gwen, you and David seem pretty beat up… What happened?” she asked, readjusting the sleeping Nikki on her back. I glanced at David for help, and he gladly obliged.

“Well, Gwen and I were using the buddy system to make sure we didn’t get lost while we searched for you. We walked along the edge of that steep hill and lost our footing and fell down. We kept running into bushes and stuff, and it scratched us up pretty bad, but it’s nothing that a few bandaids can’t fix.” he answered, shining his newly found flashlight behind us and looking around. I mean, it wasn’t a lie, but it definitely wasn’t the full truth either. I looked at the purple substance on F/N’s hands.

“By the way, F/N, what’s that purple stuff on you and Nikki? It looks dangerous…” I asked, leaning in for a closer look.

“Monster blood.” she answered, before looking at me suspiciously. “By the way, did you and David happen to run into a thin, tall, horny, pitch black monster with purple eyes in this forest?”

I snickered at the slight innuendo in her description, but answered. “Yeah, we did. It chased us while we were on the trails. Why do you ask?”

“Let’s just say you won’t have to worry about that thing anymore.” F/N responded, a creepy expression on her face. I stared at her for a second before shrugging.

“Fair enough.”

And with that, we continued on our way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey fuckers join my Camp Camp discord  
> https://discord.gg/ZtPP8Tq


	14. Part 1 Hey David, Hey Gwen, what the F U C K ?

Max’s POV

 

“Hey Neil, are those copies ready yet?” I asked the boy, taking a sip of coffee from my favorite mug.

Neil checked the number on the copy machine. “Uhh, just about! Only a few more papers to go.” he replied, grabbing one of the many copies from the completed tray.

I looked at Nikki, who had came back from the forest last night with F/N, David, and Gwen. We told her what we had found out about the notes, and the plan to humiliate Gwen and David with them.

“Nikki, you got the tape?” I asked the girl, and she held up a large roll of clear poster tape.

“Yup!” she replied, bouncing on her heels with an odd amount of energy for 5am.

Seriously, it was really fucking early in the morning.

“Aaaand done! 420 copies of the  notes coming right up!” Neil announced from the copy machine, picking up a huge stack of papers from the completed tray.

I rubbed my hands together. “Perfect,” I grinned mischievously, “Now let’s go put these up before David and Gwen wake up.”

 

We walked out of the counselor’s cabin, being sure to be as quiet as humanly possible as to not wake up the sleeping counselors in the rooms next door.

“Okay guys, let’s get taping.” I announced, grabbing one of the sheets of paper from the stack and holding it against the wall of the cabin.

“Okay Nikki, do your thing.” Neil said, and Nikki proceeded to tape the sheet of paper onto the wall.

“Ta-da!” Nikki cheered, admiring her work. I looked at the paper now taped to the wall.

It was one of the many copies of the notes that David and Gwen had made on F/N. We were going to tape these up in every place we could, exposing David and Gwen about their behavior. Then, we were going to interrogate them on why they did it, and how much they know about the girl they were taking notes on.

Around an hour and a half later, we had all the papers up. The front of the Mess Hall was covered, the counselor’s cabin was as well, and we managed to put some on the camper’s tents and some trees surrounding the camp. All we had to do now was wait for the counselors to wake up, and the fun would begin.

 

Currently, we were sitting on top of the Mess Hall and watching the sun rise. It was quite pretty, actually. Hues of gold, orange, pink, purple and blue filled the sky, warming my skin and casting a beautiful glow on everything. 

Suddenly, Nikki began to speak. “Guys, now that I think about it, I don’t think this plan is a very good one…” she stated, hugging her knees nervously. I looked at her and arched an eyebrow.

“And why is that?” I asked, “Are you afraid of getting into trouble or something? Because Gwen and David won’t do SHIT.”

“No,” Nikki answered, “I’m afraid of what F/N is going to think when she sees the notes. She might end up hating David and Gwen, or just straight up run away from camp or something.”

Neil hummed in thought at Nikki’s words, and I just stared at the teal-haired girl in confusion.

“Nikki, I can imagine F/N being uncomfortable with David and Gwen after this, but she’s not going to hate them. In fact, I don’t think she hates anybody, besides maybe Pikeman from the Wood Scouts...” I explained, and Neil spoke.

“I don’t think she’d run away, either. I think she’s kind of dependent on the camp now for survival. But with the hating David and Gwen thing, I’m not too sure. I mean, she’s very relaxed about pretty much everything, but something invasive like this…” he said, drawing circles with this finger on the ground.

I sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…”

 

Half an hour later, I was woken up from my nap by a loud “WHAT THE FUCK?!” in the distance. Suddenly, I was being shaken.

“Ugh, I’m up! What’s going on?” I groaned, rubbing my eyes. Neil pointed towards the counselor’s cabin, and my eyes widened.

“Holy shit, okay, the plan’s in action.” I muttered to myself.

In the distance, a distraught Gwen and David were holding one of the note copies that we had taped to the wall. I decided to listen in, since Gwen and David weren’t doing a very good job at being quiet.

“Oh Jesus, who the fuck put these up?” Gwen cried, clenching the paper with devastating pressure.

“And more importantly, who found them?” David asked and Gwen looked at him with a bitter face. 

“I think we both know who did this, David.” she growled, crumpling the paper in anger. The two counselors looked at each other, before saying one word in unison.

“Max.”

Nikki groaned beside me. “Aw maaan, they figured it out already…”

Suddenly, we noticed the other campers emerging from their tents.

“What’s with that noise…?” Nerris asked with a yawn as she and the other campers made their way to the Mess Hall. They didn’t notice the papers on their tents, but they definitely noticed the papers on the Mess Hall.

Ered seemed to wake up immediately the moment her eyes met the papers. She grabbed one off the wall and read through it, before walking off to F/N’s tent.

“Oh Jesus Christ, Max, I’m starting to have doubts about this…” Neil whined in nervousness, walking towards the edge of the roof. He grabbed the rope from the flagpole and jumped down, earning him a safe descent to the ground. I noticed Nikki was about to leave with him, so I grabbed her wrist in anger.

“And where the hell do you think you’re going?” I asked, and the girl looked at me, fuchsia eyes becoming sad.

“To make sure F/N will be okay once Ered shows her the notes.” she answered, and tugged her arm from my grip, before going down the flagpole as well. I looked at the campers below who haven’t noticed my presence yet, and to the counselors in the distance who were busy ripping off the sheets of paper from the walls.

I sighed in discontentment and followed along, grabbing the flagpole rope and stepping off the roof, causing the flag to lower itself. I noticed the other campers were whispering to each other, some taking a paper off the walls to look at. But as quick as they came, they left, most of them going back to their tents. The few who stayed were just standing there, staring at me. It was Harrison, Preston, and Nurf. They looked at me with a mixture of horror, disappointment, and shock. I arched an eyebrow at them.

“What the fuck are you guys looking at?” I asked, putting my hands in my pockets and glaring. The three looked at each other, then back to me.

“Did you put these up?” Preston asked, waving around one of the papers in the air. I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, it was Neil, Nikki and I. What about it?” I responded, and Nurf stomped up to me getting in my face.

“TAKE IT ALL DOWN!” he roared, before realizing he yelled.

Once he did, he guiltily moved a few feet away from me and rubbed his arm. “Sorry for yelling. I’m working on my anger issues.” Preston and Harrison walked up.

“What Nurf was TRYING to say, was that this can be really harmful, Max.” Harrison informed, and Preston nodded in agreement.

“Yeah! With sensitive information like this out for everyone to see, F/N might kill herself like Juliet, except it WON’T BE ROMANTIC!!!” Preston intensely chimed in, throwing his hands up. I lightly pushed the three kids back to get them out of my space.

“Calm down, F/N will be fine. She doesn’t care about what other people do or say or think about her. Yeah, she might be a bit worried at first, but once I explain to her why this happened, she’ll be fine with it, and will probably forget about it.” I explained, trying to walk away from the group. However, Nurf grabbed my hood, yanking me back. I glared at him hatefully.

“Wait, why DID you do this?” Harrison questioned, taking off his top hat and fumbling with it. I stared at them in awe. Were they dumb?

“Uh, did you even CHECK who the AUTHORS were? I’m doing this to expose David and Gwen and figure out why they even made the notes in the first place!” I yelled, getting impatient. I saw Harrison open his mouth to speak, but I walked away before he could say anything. Suddenly, I heard David and Gwen approaching. I looked at Neil, who had apparently been behind me the whole time, and gave him the signal. He looked at me warily, but stood beside me as the two adults walked up.

“MAX! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” Gwen yelled, gripping the sides of her head in distress, “WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!”

“Well why would YOU even CREATE these to begin with?!” I challenged, pointing to one of the many notes that were messily taped to the walls of the Mess Hall. Gwen went quiet, trying to think of an excuse. In order to save her, David nervously spoke up, seeing as other campers were beginning to gather around to see the commotion. F/N however, was nowhere to be found in the crowd. Maybe she was still in her tent?

“Okay, how about we take this SENSITIVE conversation somewhere else? Like the cabins?” he desperately suggested, patting Gwen’s shoulder and herding us towards the Counselor Cabin. I looked behind me and Neil to see Nikki catching up. Gwen noticed and facepalmed.

“Of course it was all fucking three of you…” she whispered to herself, but I could still hear.

Once we were all inside the cabin, Gwen immediately slammed shut and locked the door, before turning to us with an enraged face. David wasn’t mad, it seemed like, just disappointed.

“Alright you three, I think we all know why we’re in here.” David tried to scold.

“... Because you dragged all of us in here?” Nikki asked, and David stared at her with a dumbfounded face before sighing.

“No, Nikki, It’s because YOU THREE decided to make HUNDREDS OF COPIES of EXTREMELY SENSITIVE INFORMATION and POSTED IT FOR EVERYONE TO SEE!” Gwen roared, before gripping her head in anxiety. 

“Oh God, I could lose my job over this! Even my career!” she cried, staring intensely at the ground.

“Also, along with hanging up those papers, you also stole the counselor clipboard, which is strictly only for us counselors to have.” David added, crossing his arms. I sneered.

“Well maybe if you idiots hadn’t made the notes like some sort of fucking creep, none of us would be in this situation, now would we?” I argued, and Neil stepped forward.

“Yeah! Plus, you only made notes on JUST F/N, which is really damn creepy in itself. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s an invasion of privacy, or could even be marked as stalking!” the cerulean eyed boy commented, gesturing wildly.

“Yeah, so basically, you two are kind of creepy for this.” Nikki finished for us casually, playing with her fingers. I watched as David and Gwen looked at each other, before looking guiltily down at the floor.

However, despite the guilt, David still had more to say.

“Well, why did you three do it? This could be legitimately harmful to people other than just us. It could be harmful to F/N, her reputation, the reputation of the camp…” he listed, and I sighed.

“Neil and I only stole the clipboard because we had nothing else to do. But then we found F/N’s notes. We all decided together that you’re fucked up for making them, and we wanted to know why  you made them.” I explained, “So, I came up with this plan. To humiliate you into talking and telling us why you decided to take notes of F/N.”

“I- That’s it?” Gwen asked with a surprising softness as she rubbed the back of her neck, “You three did all that just to ask about some notes?”

Nikki nodded confidently, hands on her hips. “Yup!”

From the corner of my eye, I could see E/C eyes peering into the windows with a puzzled expression on her face. Our eyes met, and she cocked a brow at me, mentally asking me what was happening. I gestured to the door, and she seemed to understand, her image disappearing from behind the glass of the windows.

“Well, I don’t think it would hurt them to know why we did it, considering we made the notes with good intentions…” David hummed thoughtfully, bringing up a hand to his chin. I smirked.

“Good, because I think F/N should hear this too, since she is the subject we’re talking about here.” I coyly smirked, unlocking the door.

“Hey F/N, you can come in.” I called out to the girl, who slowly opened the door, carefully poking her head through the crack. I noticed she was holding about three copies of the notes in her right hand, which was covered in its usual bruises and scratches.

Gwen and David stared at the girl in horror, before their faces turned to more apologetic ones.

“Hey… F/N…” Gwen nervously greeted, rubbing her arm. David gulped.

F/N sighed and shut the door behind her, and relocked it.

“So, uh, taking notes I see? Hehe…” she awkwardly greeted, standing stiff. I looked at the two counselors ahead of me.

“So, you gonna spill?” I asked. To my right, Neil and Nikki had decided to sit on one of the old lounge chairs, waiting for the reply.

David looked down, not able to speak. Gwen however, sighed, and looked up at the girl.

“Look, I know that what we did is creepy as fuck.” she bagan.

“Extremely.” Neil butted in, and the brunette woman glared at him, before looking back to F/N.

“But I can assure you, it wasn’t out of bad intention or anything. You see, you show…  _ odd behaviors _ . And since you seem to act in a different way depending on who you’re with, it’s safe to assume that you show some signs around me that you wouldn’t show David, and vice versa.” she explained. We all tilted our heads in confusion.

“What do you mean… odd behaviors?” I asked, deciding to join Neil and Nikki on the chair. Its upholstery was surprisingly comfortable, albeit a bit tacky.

David and Gwen side-eyed each other, before Gwen gestured to the chair next to us. “Have a seat, F/N. This is… hard to explain…” she muttered, and F/N reluctantly obeyed. However, the moment Gwen sat down on the coffee table in front of us, the H/C haired girl sprung up out of the seat and sat on the floor, waiting for either David or Gwen to take her place on the chair. I looked at her strangely, and her face seemed to grow a bit red out of shame.

Suddenly, Gwen stood up and pointed a finger at her.

“ _ That _ is what I mean by odd behaviors. Shit like that.” the woman announced, picking up F/N and placing her back on the chair.

“F/N, it’s like you feel you have to give something up for everyone, even the tiniest and pointless little things. It…” Gwen paused, her amethyst eyes staring into F/N’s slightly scared E/C ones. Her eyes softened at the fear.

“It… worries us.” she finished.

I arched an eyebrow.

“That doesn’t explain why the two of you decided to make fucking NOTES on her.” I stated, causing Gwen to look at me.

“I’m getting to that, dipshit.” she grunted, and David placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

“How about I add my two cents?” he suggested, and Gwen sighed before gesturing to all of us.

“The floor is yours…”

David smiled at Gwen, before his eyes turned sympathetic.

“As we said, you, F/N, have odd behaviors that aren’t… well, normal to kids your age. But what makes these important is that what these behaviors mean, and where they come from. To put it in simpler terms… We’re worried about you and your well-being, and what you’re going through, so we decided to take notes on out of place behaviors and figure out why you do it.” he explained, sitting on the coffee table. 

Suddenly, things seemed to click into place.

The little walks that David would take F/N on early in the morning.

The random snacks that Gwen brought F/N in the middle of a stressful activity.

The odd questions that they’d ask her.

Every little bit of extra attention that she received.

It was all because David and Gwen just wanted to understand.

They wanted to understand  _ her. _

I suddenly felt like an asshole.

I stared down at my hands as an awkward silence enraptured the cabin, me being stuck in my thoughts. Beside me, Neil was fiddling with his sweater and Nikki was playing with some lint from the chair. Gwen, who was now sitting on the coffee table in front of us, was holding her head in her hands, while David messed with his scarf. F/N however, was just staring into space, something she did a lot. Did David and Gwen consider that an odd behavior?

Suddenly, F/N’s soft voice caught everyone’s attention. It was still raspy from disuse, even though she’s been using it for a few weeks now. Her face was one of curiosity, fear, and pain, her lips tensed into a slight frown, and eyebrows furrowed.

“So what you’re saying is, is that you wanna know my life story?” she asked the counselors, sitting doglike in the chair. Where did she learn to sit like that?

The counselors gawked at her wide-eyed, but nodded once they got over their shock. Neil, Nikki, and I watched the scene quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment in front of us. Especially when I could finally learn the answer to my question.

Why the FUCK was she living in the middle of the forest alone?

F/N sighed, placing a hand in her extremely matted hair and feeling it.

“Welp, here goes nothing.” she muttered before telling us  _ everything. _


	15. Memories and shit I guess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some blood.  
> Also, the reader has a chosen birthday.

 

F/N’s POV

“Welp, here goes nothing.” I muttered, placing a hand in my hair, and I told the people in front of me everything.

_I was born into an… interesting family to say the least. I was born July 4, 2003. I lived with my father, my mom, and my sister S/N._

_My sister had been around 5 years older than me. Since the day I was born, we did everything together, even if I was a little shit sometimes. We’d play hide and seek, draw, play pretend with our stuffed animals and figurines. We were ride or die. Only death could separate us._

_My mom was similar to S/N. She loved me and took care of me whenever things got dark. She taught me what love was, what it felt like, and everything else about it. She was one of the few lanterns I had in my life._

_And then there was my father._

_For maybe the first 6 or 5 years of my life, he was just like any other father. He took care of me, Mom, and S/N. We were a happy family._

_But then something in him changed._

_One day when I was around 6 or something like that, he received a phone call from his job. He worked for the Police Department, and he was always getting calls for cases, or found evidence for crimes and shit. This phone call was different though. Something about someone hunting us. Hunting someone in our family. From the moment that call ended and the phone receiver was put back into its cradle, he was much more… unpleasant._

_I was taken out of school, and given a private mentor. We moved out of our old home and into a much smaller one. I was forbidden from ever leaving the house without a trusted adult with me, and the adult had to be armed. One day I asked my father why everything was like that all of a sudden. Why my freedom was taken away, why I wasn’t able to go see friends, why I wasn’t even able to touch the outside world…_

_And he got defensive._

_He started to… scream at me. Called me stupid and ignorant. He said I’d never be able to understand. And with a final yell about how awful I was for asking such a question, he slapped me across the face and told me to go to my room. And soon, that anger was taken out on Mom and S/N as well._

_By the time I was 8, my entire body had been covered in scars and bruises, and it was much worse for S/N and Mom. One time, my father had drank an entire bottle of gin and smashed it over Mom’s head for asking him to go grocery shopping with her. She was knocked out and had to go to the hospital for stitches._

_His excuse for his behavior was that he was trying to protect us from whatever was coming after us, to teach us what we shouldn’t do. But as time went on, I think he lost sight of his reason, and just did it for his own pleasure. Mom realized this, and she threatened to divorce him. I’m not too sure what his exact reaction to that was, but the next thing I knew, Mom had woken me up in the middle of the night one night and told me to pack my things. To bring only what was essential to me._

_That night, Mom, S/N, and I ran away with nothing but some clothes, blankets, non-perishable foods, a water bottle, and one comfort item for each of us. Mine was a stuffed bear that I had received for my 4th birthday. His name was Mr. Honeynuts, named after my favorite character from a children’s TV show from that time. While I was grateful to be away from my father and out of that godforsaken hellhole I had to call home, there was an issue._

_We were homeless._

_We were able to receive some help from a homeless shelter, but it wasn’t a lot. The ladies there got me enrolled into a shitty public school, where I was made fun of. A lot of the kids there knew I was homeless, and for some reason they decided to make fun of me for it. It didn’t help that with my private tutor, I was able to skip around 3 grades. I was going to be the youngest in my class for the rest of my life. I was supposed to be in a 3rd grade class, but was instead in a 6th grade class._

_And 6th graders are the fucking worst, no offense._

_While I was suffering in school with S/N, Mom managed to find a job at a local bakery. She made enough for a tiny apartment, but the conditions were terrible._

_Luckily for us, one night a man had decided to knock on our door. It was hailing outside, and he needed shelter for the night so he didn’t die trying to get to his motel._

_His name was Daniel._

_He was very enthusiastic and friendly, and even knew a few magic tricks such as pulling a coin out of someone’s ear. That night, while hail rained down upon our mini shelter, Mom had decided to tell Daniel about our situation. Almost immediately, he offered to help us out. He said he was a pastor, and that he believed that nobody deserved to be in such conditions. He offered to let us stay with him in his home, where there was food, water, and plenty of space for a family of three. The only catch was that we had to go to his sermons, and partake in the church activities. We agreed almost immediately. After all, we had pretty much nothing to lose. I remember, the moment we agreed to his terms, Daniel had picked up my small 8 year old body gently, cradling me in his arms._

_“I can promise you, you’ll feel safe too.” he grinned._

_The next day, after the hail had ceased, Daniel picked up his car and we piled in, this time being able to bring everything we wanted, and we started a great, new life. I was even able to give away Mr. Honeynuts without feeling bad. It was for a drive. A food drive, a clothing drive, just a drive in general. While I was helping a homeless man find a coat, I noticed a boy around 5 years younger than me just standing next to a table, not knowing what to do. So I quickly helped the homeless man and walked up to the boy. I noticed that behind him, his parents were arguing, yelling at each other. The boy looked like he was about to cry._

_“Hey, are you okay?” I asked him. He looked to be only 4 years old. Tears filled his green eyes and he shook his head, holding himself. I crouched down to his height and looked him in the eyes._

_“What’s wrong? Can you tell me?” I asked, and he looked at me for a second, before pointing to the two adults yelling at each other behind him. They didn’t even notice the many pairs of eyes on them as they argued._

_“They never stop… I feel so alone…” the boy whimpered, clutching his arms. It was the middle of winter, after all. I froze at the kid’s words, the lump in my jacket becoming more noticable. I slowly reached into my coat pocket, before pulling out the stuffed bear and handing it to the boy. He stared at it for a few seconds before hesitantly taking the soft stuffed animal into his hands and looking at me, face brightening._

_“C-can I keep it?” he hesitantly asked, and I smiled before ruffling his dark hair._

_“Of course. His name is Mr. Honeynuts, and he is always looking for new friends. Just know that he’s always there for you, even in hard times like this. Okay?” I said, a soft smile on my face. The boy grinned, his eyes lighting up like fireworks._

_“Thank you!” he cheered, before turning to his parents. I went back into the rented out warehouse before people could even realize I left._

_I was put back in school, only except this time, classes were online. Mom got to stay home, since Daniel received plenty of funds from his church. He was very kind to my family and I while we were with him. He took me out shopping, he took us to the beach, he bought me ice cream, he had essentially turned into the dad that I wanted, except he wasn’t my dad. He was just a kind man who liked to help people._

_Or so I thought._

_At 10 years old, Mom, S/N and I had to go with Daniel to a “very special ceremony”. He said that it would include us and many others reaching what he called ascension, a very special state of mind and body. “The ceremony ritual will hurt for about a minute or two, but once you reach ascension, you’ll no longer have to feel pain again!” he had told me. We were taken to this building in the middle of the forest. It was a tiny shack, no larger than an outhouse. But inside the shack was a trapdoor. Daniel had lead us down into it, which revealed a HUGE chapel. The walls were made of a white stone, with golden decals on pillars, and marble floors. There were hundreds of wooden pews, all surrounding a small stage with a golden altar in the middle the size of a twin mattress. The only sources of light were the lanterns that swung from rope in the wooden ceiling._

_There were hundreds of people. Some were old, some were young, some dark skinned, some light skinned, some sick, some healthy. But all were wearing white and gold. Mom, S/N, and I were put into these white and gold dresses, and had to eat a ‘purification diet’, which consisted of cheese, wine, and plain bread. Finally, we were told to drink a potion which tasted strangely like Kool-Aid, and lay down on this weird altar._

_Mom went first._

_Daniel had finished this weird, hypnotizing speech. I couldn’t understand what he was saying with my ears, but for some reason, I felt like I had to do what he said. Words seemed to be ingrained into my mind all of a sudden. Things like Xemϋg, cleansing, and ascension. However, my sister pinched my side, completely clearing my mind of those weird thoughts._

_“F/N, something’s wrong…” S/N whispered to me as Daniel continued to speak. I looked at the hundreds of people around us, clutching my dress in nervousness._

_Everyone’s eyes were completely glazed over, as if they were under a spell. I looked up at Mom. She was the same way. I stiffened, and looked over at S/N in realization._

_“This is a cult! We have to get out of here!” I whispered back, and S/N nodded in agreement._

_“I know, but let’s wait and see what happens. Besides, I don’t think we can even move right now.” she whispered back. I nodded, and looked down at the floor._

_After a few minutes of Daniel talking, he had walked over to Mom and took her hand, leading her to the altar. He made her lay down on the golden bed, before announcing something that made my blood freeze._

_“And now, M/N (mother’s name) L/N, ascend! May your life please the ancient ones!” he announced before pulling out an ornate knife and plunging it into Mom’s heart, blood spilling all over her dress and running down the sides of the altar. She screamed in pain and pushed Daniel, trying to get him away._

_All around us, the people were cheering and chanting._

_“Ascende et liberi eritis! Ascende et liberi eritis! Ascende et liberi eritis!”_

_Soon, Mom’s screams of pain died, and so did she. I screamed in horror, tears pouring from my eyes like Niagra falls. Two inky creatures suddenly appeared beside the altar, lifting the body and vanishing, leaving behind the puddle of gore on the golden surface of the altar. I noticed the knife that Daniel had used to kill my mother was glowing, the silver blade gleaming with an unknown power. Beside me, S/N screamed._

_“DANIEL YOU SICK BASTARD! YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!” she screamed, rushing up onto the stage and punching Daniel in the face._

_All hell broke loose._

_I saw the knife that Daniel used fall to the floor as he held his face in pain. I ran to it and picked it up, clutching it tightly in my small hands. The people around us were screaming in panic, some running after S/N to try and hit her. Before Daniel could hit her back, I pushed through the crowd of people and grabbed S/N’s hand, rushing towards the exit. As I flung open the large wooden doors, I noticed that the people were chasing after us. I panicked, but S/N thought quickly. She grabbed the knife from my hands, before throwing it at the rope holding the lanterns in the ceiling. The knife miraculously acted like a boomerang, cutting the ropes holding the lanterns and returning back to S/N’s grasp. The lanterns fell and smashed on the crowd below, setting them on fire. People were screaming in pain and running around, spreading it. Soon, the entire chapel was burning. Suddenly, S/N was grabbed by a flaming Daniel._

_“YOU DID THIS!” he roared into her face before reaching into his pocket. He seemed shocked to realize something was missing. His eyes flitted to my hands and widened, seeing the knife._

_“GIVE IT!” he commanded, and I kicked the cultist in the groin before running up the wooden stairs. S/N followed, but not before grabbing a book off the ground and smacking another cult member with it. By now, the fire had spread to the stairs, which were slowly falling apart from being so goddamn old. I was about ¼th of the way up when all of a sudden, the stairs below me collapsed. I screamed, expecting me to fall to my death, but I didn’t. I looked up and noticed that I had stabbed the stairs above me with the knife, keeping me in place. Beside me, S/N was holding on for dear life, the book she snatched being held with her mouth. I pulled myself up with great effort, before pulling the knife from the floor and stabbing it through the golden silk belt on my dress. I grabbed the book from S/N’s mouth and set it down, before grabbing her arms. About 12 feet below us, the cultists were stacking up on each other, creating a makeshift human ladder. A flaming one. The smell of burning flesh suddenly hit my 10 year old nostrils, and I almost vomited. I tugged on her arms, only to hear a crack from the stairs above me. S/N’s eyes widened in terror._

_“F/N! Just go! I’ll be fine! Take the book and leave me!” she cried out, kicking away one of the cultists that had tried to grab her leg. I teared up, but felt the staircase shift. It was going to fall any second now. I took one last tear-filled look at S/N before snatching up the book and running up the staircase._

_“S/N, I LOVE YOU!” I screamed in agony, before the stairs and ceiling behind me fell, dooming everyone beneath or behind it. I allowed more tears so spill, sobs shaking my body as I stumbled up the burning staircase, my remaining family member left to die._

_By the time I had gotten out of the shack, it was completely set ablaze. The smell of burning bodies was apparent and strong. Anyone in a 10 mile radius could probably take a guess of what was happening. I collapsed next to the burning building and looked at my arms. They were covered in burns from the fires in front of me, and cuts from the debris, as well as scars from my father. I sat there for what seemed like hours and sobbed, angry at the world._

_Angry at the world that had taken everything from me. My Mom’s warm and loving embrace, her sweet words of reassurance that everything was going to be okay. My sister’s playful yet gentle shoves, her soft voice telling me that I was pretty and that she loved me to matter what happened._

_I cried harder, clutching onto the book, the last thing S/N had ever touched. There was nothing left for me. I was completely alone._

_Suddenly, I heard footsteps from the surrounding forest, which was beginning to catch fire from the shack. I looked over and froze in fear._

_Standing there was Daniel himself, only this time he was extra crispy, and extremely pissed off._

_“F/N.” he spat hatefully, not moving a muscle as he stared at me intently. I only stared back, fear filling my entire being. What was he going to do to me?_

_Around us, the fire had spread causing flaming branches to fall off the trees. One landed next to Daniel, and he bent down and picked it up. He began walking towards me, slowly. I shakily stood up, clutching the book tightly in my arms. The blond cultist raised the flaming chunk of wood, pointing at the knife that was sheathed in my dress._

_“Hand it over, and I won’t kill you, brat.” he threatened, and I subconsciously shook my head in fear, stepping back from the man. His blue eyes turned ice cold._

_“Fine. Have it your way.” he growled, before suddenly lunging at me._

_I screamed in fear and stumbled back, only to trip on a fallen tree branch. I tried to get up, but Daniel forced me down by sitting on me, stealing the knife from my dress. I tried to grab it back, but he elbowed me in the face and proceeded to stab me._

_Over._

_And over._

_And over._

_“TIME FOR ASCENSION, F/N!” he cackled maniacally as I felt my grip on reality loosen. My tired eyes looked at the glowing knife plunged into my stomach, my own blood staining the white of my dress a dark crimson. I looked around, my vision getting blurry. I needed a way out. Out of this._

_Suddenly, a voice rang through my mind._

_Aut viam inveniam aut faciam._

_I will either find a way or I will make one._

_All of a sudden, my senses had come back sevenfold. I was seeing as if everything was in slow motion. Above me, Daniel was still laughing his wicked ass off, the knife still plunged into my stomach. Behind him, I could see a path that wasn’t completely covered in flame._

_My body seemed to move on its own. I had grabbed the knife and tore it out of my body, splattering blood on myself, but that didn’t matter at the moment. I swung the knife with alarming speed and precision, slicing the cultist’s neck and stabbing him directly in the crotch._

_He screamed in pain, falling to the side. I shakily stood up, grabbing my fallen book and stepping away from the bleeding man. Suddenly, I heard a crack, and a tree trunk had crashed right in front of me, blocking my view of the blond._

_I shoved the knife back through my dress loop before sprinting away, and never looking back._

_By the time nightfall had hit, I was already miles away from that forest. I had managed to guilt trip a busdriver into driving me to the furthest stop possible from that place for free. I left a trail of blood wherever I went, but somehow, I didn’t die. Not to mention, I was still able to see everything that happened around me. It didn’t matter if it was behind me, or happening behind a wall. I could still see it happening. Not to mention, all the stab wound pain was completely gone._

_Was this ascension?_

_I had shaken my head at my stupid thoughts. This was only adrenaline._

_...Right?_

_But anyways, the bus driver had kicked me off the large vehicle when we reached a small, old western like town. I looked at the sign that told the city name._

_Sleepy Peak, huh?_

_I had walked around the town, which was painfully small. It was probably more accurate to call it a village than a town._

_As I walked around trying to find something to eat, I was stopped by two old men, who were sitting on rocking chairs on a porch of a building._

_“Hey! You there! Bloody young girl!” one of the old men called, and I turned to face them._

_One of the old men was short and fat, his bushy white eyebrows rendering his eyes invisible. He was pale with a receding hairline, and wore a brown hat, shirt, and boots, as well as green overalls._

_The other old man was fairly tall, but had a beer belly. He had tanned skin and gray hair, and wore a black hat, jeans, brown boots, and a green polo underneath a brown vest._

_The one who had called me was the short one. I cocked an eyebrow at him as I stood in the middle of the sidewalk, waiting to hear what he had to say._

_“Young lass, why are you so hurt?” he asked with worry, and I frowned._

_“Just got tangled up in something I shouldn’t have.” I vaguely replied, about to walk away. The two old men looked at each other, and the tall one called out to me._

_“Child, I have no idea how you’re still alive from bleeding so much, but please let us help you. We can feed you and get you some clothing that isn’t covered in blood. I even know someone who knows first aid! Just please, let us help…” he insisted, and I turned to the two men. They seemed harmless enough, and I was pretty hungry from all the events that had happened today._

_“...Fine. But I’m leaving once you’re done.” I said, before following them into the house._

_They fed me and allowed me to take a shower, seeing as I was covered in blood. They saw the knife, but surprisingly didn’t question it. They were also kind enough to give me some old clothing and a bed sheet._

_They also called up a cute woman, the one who knew first aid. She had pink hair, aquamarine eyes, and a purple dress. As she dressed my wounds, she told me about her life. She worked as a waitress at a place in this town called “The Only Bar”, which was a pretty weird name, but whatever. She was very kind, and even tried to convince me to stay with her for the time being, but I refused._

_I had to go my own way._

_“If you’re sure you don’t want to stay here, then I advise you follow the dirt trail to one of the summer camps around here.” she told me, handing me a large, leather satchel. She had put the extra clothing in it, as well as the knife, the sheet, the book, and some pie that she managed to snag for me from the local bakery._

_I nodded in understanding, before thanking the three kind people. I stepped out of the old house and began walking, beginning my journey to Camp Campbell._

“Aaand… That’s about it. Besides maybe living on Spooky Island for a couple of months and moving into the middle of the forest… and Max, Nikki, and Neil getting me enrolled into this place…” I finished, staring down at my hands. They were covered in callosus and scratches, my knuckles bruised as well.

There was a deafening silence that overtook the cabin as my story sank in. The entire time that I was speaking, nobody said a word.

I took a quick peek at the people in front of me.

They were all staring at me, mouths open. David, Gwen, and Neil had tears in their eyes. I looked at each person, who just kept staring at me, nothing to say. I awkwardly looked back down at the floor, trying to shake off the anxiety I was suddenly feeling. What did they think of me now? Were David and Gwen going to kick me out? Were they going to accept me here?

I felt tears burn behind my eyes, so I allowed my stupidly long hair to fall across my face, hiding my eyes away.

Suddenly, I felt 5 pairs of arms around me. I opened my eyes, and found that I was in the middle of a group hug. Neil was hugging my back, Nikki hugging my side, and Max hugging my stomach. Gwen and David were in it as well, reaching their arms across everyone.

“F/N…” David began, and I looked up at him. He was freely crying, tears running down his face.

“F/N, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that, that you had to go through so much suffering…” he continued, and opened up his shining forest green orbs. My eyes widened at the amount of sheer adoration in his expression.

“I want to help you, but only if you'll let me." he offered, and Gwen spoke.

"Do you trust us?" she asked, and everyone looked at me yet again.

I stared into space for a second, pondering what I should say.

Should I really trust these two? Gwen wasn't exactly the caring type, but she was definitely caring right now. And with David, he was practically an angel. He'd never hurt me on purpose.

I think I knew my answer.

"I trust you."

__________

END OF ARC 1: THE STOWAWAY


	16. GUYS HOLY FUCK

So apparently on Wattpad, this story has over 1000 readers, AND is currently #1 in the dadvid tag!

Because I'm super fucking happy about this, I've decided to do some Camp Camp art requests!

Art requests will be open from August 10 to August 16.

However, I'll only accept the requests if you tell me on my Camp Camp discord server. 

There, you can tell me what characters you want (I'll even do OCs!), what you want them to be doing, etc.

Discord link: <https://discord.gg/ZtPP8Tq>

I'll draw pretty much anything except nsfw

I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, and Campe Diem!

 


	17. Author.exe has stopped working

Hi, this is an author's note.  
Unfortunately, this story is going to be on hold for a while.  
I'm in a really bad spot right now. My parents are divorcing, my depression is spiraling out of control, and on top of that, I'm starting my sophomore year soon.  
I swear I'm still writing this story, it just might take a while for me to find the motivation to update.   
I hope your lives at the moment are better than mine. Have a great rest of your Summer, and Campe Diem.

 


	18. A camp convention, huh? Sounds pretty sick, bro.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much just a filler chapter for the next few chapters. And hey, it's an update.

F/N's POV

"Ugh, Gweeeeeen, do I really have to do this?" I asked the woman behind me, who was currently brushing out the matted mane on my head that was my hair. It hurt whenever she hit a really bad snarl, but I've felt worse pain so I kept my mouth shut.

"Yes, F/N. This camp convention is important to David and Mr. Campbell, and every summer camp that's attending needs a camper representative." she answered, brushing out a snarl that made me squeeze my eyes shut in pain.

"Well, yeah, I get that, but why take me? I'm not even legally a camper here! I'm just some homeless kid who managed to convince everyone I belong..." I complained, resting my chin on a hand.

"That may be true, but you're the most well behaved and well rounded kid here. If we were to take anyone else, they'd probably screw something up and end up getting Mr. Campbell arrested, which will get the camp shut down." Gwen explained.

Suddenly, David opened the door to the cabin, holding a yellow tote bag with the Camp Campbell logo on it.

"OOOOOOH F/NNNNNNN!" he cheerily called, his loud voice causing me to jump a bit in my seat. I turned to look at the excited man, eyebrows arched to let him know I was listening.

"What is it, David? Can't you see I'm helping her get decent for this thing?" Gwen asked, annoyed. I could tell from the mirror that she was almost done untangling my hair. Yeah, I REALLY needed a haircut. I was sitting in a stool, and it was only about 3 inches from touching the ground.

"I know, I know. You're helping her get her hair and stuff in order. However, while I was in town picking up supplies, one of the stores had a clothing sale going on. And since F/N doesn't have any decent clothes of her own, I decided to get her some!" he announced, digging through the bag.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" I asked, slightly offended. David ignored me.

He pulled out what appeared to be some shirts, tank tops, shorts, sweatpants, and even a bathing suit, and handed them to me.

"Sorry if they don't fit right, F/N. I had to guess your sizes to get these, hope you don't mind..." he sheepishly grinned. I stared at the red-haired man for a second before cautiously removing the articles of clothing from his hands. I glanced them over, before looking nervously back up to David.

"Can I seriously keep these...?" I asked, clutching a particular pair of shorts that I liked from the pile now sitting on my lap. David quirked an eyebrow before smiling again.

"Of course! I bought them for you, after all! Now go try them on! It looks like Gwen just finished with your hair, and we need to leave soon!" he urged, pulling me out of the chair and shoving me into Gwen's room with the clothing. Welp, this was going to be fun...

Outside the cabin, unbeknownst to the counselors (and camper) inside, Max, Neil, and Nikki were listening in.

"A Camp convention, huh?" Max grinned evilly, rubbing his hands together like a stereotypical cartoon villain, "I wonder what that'll be like..."

"Oh HELL no, Max! Remember the last time we followed David on one of his little trips?" Neil resentfully reminded the two kids next to him, "We got stuck listening to the Farmers Almanac for an entire 24 hours straight while being forced to roast wieners on unsanitized sticks! I don't think I can even look at a cassette tape or a hotdog the same ever again..."

Nikki rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "Oh come on, Neil! We'll be fine! Besides, it's just a camp convention! What could possibly go wrong?"

The two boys just stared at the mint-haired girl, already feeling the jinx in the air. However, they ignored it for the sake of this chapter.

Once everything was piled into the camp van, F/N was practically dragged out of the counselor cabin by David, who was followed by Mr. Campbell himself. The troublesome trio quickly jumped into the trunk of the van, successfully managing to avoid being seen by anyone.

"Now F/N, unfortunately we don't have enough space for you in the back seat since we have so much luggage, so you'll have to squeeze into the trunk." David explained, fixing the H/C haired girls shirt sleeve. F/N definitely looked better in clothing that wasn't practically ripped to shreds.

F/N groaned. "Seriously? How much luggage do we have? What the hell is in all those damn suitcases?" she asked, directing the question more towards Mr. Campbell. The grey-haired man felt himself began to sweat, knowing he had to keep the truth hidden.

"Uh, erm, just some extra... camping stock! Yeah!" he quickly lied, though it was obvious the girl hadn't been fooled. Mr. Campbell sighed and pulled out ten $20 bills from his pockets.

"Stay. Quiet." he growled to the girl, who just looked weirdly at the man, before smirking evilly. 

"I'm gonna have to ask for more than that, Campbell. How about... 20?" she grinned, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"20... dollars?" Campbell asked hopefully, praying that the girl in front of him was a fucking idiot, which she wasn't.

"Thousand." F/N demanded.

"Fuck..." Campbell lamented to himself, before standing up to his full height. "Wait here for a moment, if you will."

"I've got all day." F/N sneered in victory. As Mr. Campbell walked into the Mess Hall to get her money, David continued to brief the girl on the events ahead.

"So F/N! To review, we'll be spending all 3 days at the convention site, advertising for our wonderful camp, exploring, meeting other camps, and of course, CAMPING!" the man explained excitedly, jumping up and down.

"And selling drugs, apparently..." the girl mumbled to herself. Spending 4 years alone in the forest really heightened the senses. She could practically taste the marijuana inside some of those suitcases, despite standing far away from the van.

As David continued to explain what was going to happen, the three kids inside the trunk were listening to every word.

"3 days?!" Neil whisper-screamed to himself, clutching his hair in anxiety.

"Hey, don't complain! This means 3 days away from this god-forsaken camp." Max grinned.

"Yes!!! That means 3 days to explore the world outside the camp!" Nikki gasped in happiness, "Good thing I snuck a bunch of our clothes into F/N's bag!"

"But what if we get caught, Nikki?! And what about Gwen? She'll be sure to notice us gone for 3 days!" Neil worriedly groaned, and Max rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. The worst that can happen is David and Campbell find out, and we're forced to represent Camp Campbell with them for the next 3 days. Also, I'm pretty sure Gwen would TREASURE 3 days without us. We're little shits, remember?" the boy explained, fixing his hair that was getting messed up by the blanket covering the three of them. Neil nervously rubbed his arm, and decided to stay quiet.

Outside the van, Mr. Campbell handed the cash to F/N, who quickly counted the wad of US dollars and shoved them in her bag when she was satisfied. Little did the trio in the trunk of the van know that she already knew of their plan. She overheard the trio discussing it a couple nights ago, while she helped David put out the nightly campfire.

"Now that everything's ready, we should probably say bye to the rest of the campers, right?" the E/C eyed girl suggested, and David nodded excitedly.

"Yes! Wait right here while I go get Gwen, okay?" he said, before zooming off to the counselor's cabin. After I knew he was gone, I smirked and climbed into the trunk of the van, purposefully sitting on the blanket that Max, Neil, and Nikki were hiding under. I grinned mischievously at their groans of discontentment, and splayed myself across it instead. After about 20 seconds of angry grunts, Max's head finally emerged from the sheet of wool and glared at me hatefully.

"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" he whispered angrily at me, his dark brown hair messy.

"Just chilling while David gets Gwen so we can say goodbye to the rest of the campers." I cooly replied, leaning against a weed-filled suitcase. God, that scent was strong. I could probably get high off the smell alone.

Neil and Nikki popped out from beneath the blanket.

"Do you think Gwen will notice if we're gone?" Neil asked, rubbing his arms from the sudden chill of not being under a blanket.

I nodded my head. "Definitely, but she'll treasure the three days you three are gone. She might notify David, but that's the most that can happen, I'm sure."

Suddenly, David's voice rang out, calling all campers to the Mess Hall. I winked at my three travel buddies, and heaved myself over the large collection of suitcases blocking the trunk of the van. After prying myself from the vehicle, I jogged over to where David, Gwen, Mr. Campbell, and the rest of the campers were. David smiled at me when i reached my place next to him and placed a gentle hand on my right shoulder.

"Okay kids, listen up! What we're about to say is important, so pay attention!" Gwen announced, causing the chattering campers to quiet down. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, confused stares burning into my body. Next to me, David began to speak.

"Alright campers! I don't know if you've noticed, but Mr. Campbell, F/N, and I will be leaving for a few days!" the burgundy haired man declared, lifting a hand. "And because Gwen will be the only counselor here, I'm asking for all of you to be on your best behavior, and treat Gwen with respect! Like you should always do!"

Space Kid raised his hand, and David pointed at him, requesting him to speak.

"Why are you leaving?" the bowl-headed boy asked. Before David could answer his question, a bunch of other campers decided to speak.

"How long will you three be gone?" Nerris asked, rubbing the cardboard blade of her sword.

"And WHY are you taking F/N?" Preston questioned, pointing directly at me, making me cringe. I didn't like being in the center of attention.

"YEAH, DAVID! You pickin' favorites?! That can be emotionally harmful to the other campers!" Nurf yelled, stomping.

Overwhelmed by all the questions and shouting, I walked back to the van and jumped into the trunk, listening to the adults take care of the uproar.

"Okay, okay, calm down kids, there's no need to get so upset-" David's failed attempt at soothing the angered children was interrupted by Gwen, who had pulled out a megaphone from seemingly out of nowhere.

"SHUT YOUR YAPS AND LISTEN!" she yelled into the deafening device, the loud noise making my ears ring. I groaned in pain and covered by ears as she continued to use the megaphone, which I realized I fucking hated.

Stupid oversensitive hearing.

By the time my ears had stopped ringing, the campers had gone back to their activities and David and Mr. Campbell were approaching the van, David swirling the keys around his pointer finger. I turned to the troublesome trio of kids who were staring at me in confusion.

"Okay, David and Campbell are coming. I prefer this ride to be as easy as possible, so let's do our best to not talk, okay?" I told them, looking mostly at Neil. He did like to talk. The three nodded, before Max lifted up a part of the blanket.

"According to Google Maps, this is going to be a long trip, so you might as well get comfy now." he said, silently inviting me to join Neil, Nikki, and himself under the blanket. I smiled warmly at the green-eyed boy, before slipping under the thick sheet of wool. I heard the sound of the van doors opening and closing, followed by the engine starting.

And with that, the trek began.

It had been a few hours since we first left Camp Campbell. In that time, my left leg had managed to fall asleep due to an also sleeping Nikki, who decided my left thigh looked like a great pillow. I also munched through a couple of small potato chip bags that were 75% air, and win 6 rounds of Uno against Max and Neil. At that moment, the long braid that Gwen had put my hair in was resting over Max's eyes to shield them from the sunlight, in an attempt to pass out to pass the time. I couldn't blame him; I wanted to sleep to. However, my attention remained glued to the glass of the van window in awe. It had been so long since I've been so far outside the camp, I almost forgot what a cornfield looked like. Or a house. Or a dog. Yeah, I REALLY needed to get out more.

But it's not like I could help that.

I was jolted out of my thoughts by David speaking, his voice sounding slightly distant since he was the one driving, and I was all the way in the trunk surrounded by weed bags.

"So F/N, are you excited for this convention? I know I am!" David gushed, peering at me through the rear-view mirror. I smiled and nodded a bit.

"I am for the most part. I didn't realize how long it's been since I've been..." I trailed off, not wanting to spill my secret to Mr. Campbell. He seemed like the kind of guy to sell me to a pedophile or something if he found out I'm not a real camper. David's eyes widened slightly for a split second in realization, but he was back to normal in an instant.

"Well I'm glad this trip is getting you out more!" he cheered, and I silently thanked him for not outing me to the criminal sitting in the passenger seat. I glanced down at the sudden movement by my legs, and there crouched Neil. He looked at me with tired, pleading eyes and whispered.

"Is it okay if I sleep on you? This trunk isn't the most comfortable..." he requested. I stared at him for a moment before nodding, causing the curly haired boy to smile in gratefulness, before he curled up against my side with his head resting on my thigh. This moved Nikki's head off in the process, who quietly groaned in objection, half asleep. I sighed, and dragged her body so she was curled up on the right side of my body instead. I then adjusted myself so I was laid flat on my back, grabbing the blanket and pulling it over my body. I could feel Max's eyes skim over us, before he sighed and crawled over and found a spot underneath the blanket with Neil, Nikki, and I. To clarify, I was in the middle, with Nikki sleeping on my left and Neil trying to rest on my right, while Max laid by our feet. Everyone was curled up awkwardly so the suitcases stacked up around us wouldn't fall, so to say we were squished and tangled up was an understatement. Neil squirmed around uncomfortably, trying to find the best position to sleep. However, he stopped when Max kicked him in annoyance.

"Hey David," I yawned, the body heat of 3 children plus a blanket making me tired, "I think I'm gonna take a nap. Try to wake me up 10 minutes before we get there, okay?" After hearing an enthusiastic "Sure thing" from the redhead in the driver's seat, I finally closed my eyes and drifted off into dreamland.

Or, what was supposed to be dreamland, anyways.

All I could remember from my dream was 3 kids who were my age, all of them holding some type of weapon. There were 2 boys and one girl, but I forgot their names and faces. However, the weapons they were holding looked familiar. One of the kids, the girl, had walked up to me and shook my hand, before everything melted away and I was flung into darkness, surrounded by pairs of blue eyes and whispers echoing around me.

_"How does ascension feel?"_

_"You shouldn't be here."_

_"Shhhhhhhh"_

_"It'll all be over soon."_

_"It's good that he killed you."_

_"See you in the next realm."_

As I listened to the whispers, the blackness around me seemed to come together and amalgamate into the last person on this Earth that I wanted to see.

Daniel.

He stared straight into me as the rest of his slim body formed, his all-white clothes contrasting against the dark. He grinned at me, making me shudder in fear.

 _"See you soon."_  was all he said before I woke up.

I suddenly sat up in the trunk of the camp van with a choked gasp, my hair flying into my face. For the first time since we got into the vehicle, Mr. Campbell spoke to me.

"You okay, kid? You were mumbling some stuff in your sleep." he informed, craning his neck to see me from the passenger's seat. I stared at him, my brain still trying to process what he said, before nodding.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just an... odd dream." I replied, before looking out the windows. We were currently stopped for a stoplight, and the sun was much higher in the sky than earlier. I'd say around 1 pm. Still squished into me was Neil, Nikki, and Max, who were fast asleep. I guess my supposed sleep-talking wasn't enough to get them to stir.

"By the way F/N, we're about 10 minutes away from the camp convention, so find your stuff and try to wake up more. We need to be in tip-top shape so we can set up our tents and booth correctly! Ohhh, I'm so excited for this thing!" David gushed, taking a left turn. I noticed that this left us driving through some pretty thick forest. We were definitely almost there. I felt Neil shift beside me, followed by him yawning. Luckily, the sound of the engine running was enough to shield him from being found out. I shoved his shoulders a bit, rousing him slightly from his slumber.

"Hey, Neil, we're almost there. Wake up." I whispered to him, causing him to groan and open his blue eyes.

He rubbed sleep out of his orbs and looked out the windows, before kicking Max awake. I guess he was too tired or something to retaliate, because all he did was groan into the blanket and glare at the Jewish boy, who snickered in response. To wake up Nikki, I leaned in close to her face and harshly blew air into her face, causing her to shake her head wildly, waking herself up. I covered her mouth before she could say anything to get her caught.

Once everyone was awake, I lifted up the blanket and handed it to Neil.

"Okay, so we're almost to the convention, and I need to sneak you three out of the car. Any suggestions?" I asked, fiddling with my bag strap. Nikki's eyes lit up.

"Oh! How about we hide in the blanket until everything is unloaded?" she suggested, making sure not to talk too loudly to a point where she would be heard by the two men up front.

I shook my head. "That's too risky. David will probably grab the blanket first, since we need to set up the tents first." I objected, and Nikki looked at her feet in disappointment.

"How about you knapsack us in the blanket with your bag? It'll be uncomfortable for us, but it'll be worth it if we don't get caught." Neil suggested, and I hummed in thought, imagining the possibilities. The possibilities said it was a good idea, so I nodded.

"Okay, then it's decided. When the van stops, everyone pile onto the blanket and don't make a sound, no matter what. Got it?" I ordered, and the trio nodded.

Soon, I saw a sign that read "NOW ENTERING: 40th ANNUAL CAMPERCON" followed by the feeling of the van coming to a park. Max, Nikki, and Neil practically scrambled onto the blanket and covered themselves in various bags, sheets, and a couple of suitcases, rendering them invisible to David and Cameron. I grabbed the four corners of the large blanket they were on and swung the makeshift sack over my shoulder, jumping out of the van with it once David opened the trunk.

"Gosh F/N, you're stronger than I am and I'm an adult!" he commented, impressed. Little did he know that the sack I was carrying was full of bags, sheets, and children. Nice combination. However, I needed to set the sack down and release the trio eventually, so I turned to David and Cameron.

"Where can I drop this off at?" I asked, and Mr. Campbell pulled out a map, and closely examined it.

"If you walk down the southern trail without making any turns, you should end up at the tenting site." the man informed me, turning the map so I could see it. Sure enough, the southern route was the quickest and most direct.

"Oh, and our tent lot is #413!" David added, and I nodded in thanks before taking off, following the signs that lead the way.

"AND DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS!" David called out after me, as I walked away.

"OKAY!" I called back.

"... DON'T ACCEPT ANY FOOD OR DRINK FROM PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW! MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THE SIGNS ON THE TRAILS!" he called again.

"...UH, OKAY?" I replied.

"MAKE SURE YOU- ow!" David was cut off by Mr. Campbell elbowing him in the gut.

Inside the sack, I heard the trio snickering.

"Wow F/N, it's like David thinks he's your dad or something." Nikki joked, and I snorted.

"David? My dad? Please. That would be absurd. What kind of camp counselor would adopt one of his campers?" I giggled, walking down the trail labelled "SOUTHERN TRAIL: TENTS AND PARK THIS WAY!"

Alongside me, I noticed more and more people walking with luggage, as well as a few familiar faces. I didn't say anything, until one of the familiar faces recognized me.

"Woah, aren't you F/N from Camp Campbell?" Pikeman asked, pointing to my convention pass that hung around my neck. I nodded, E/C eyes looking forward as to keep on the narrow dirt trail beneath our feet.

"Wow! You look a lot more different from when I saw you at the Camporee! Did you change your hair? Your clothes?" the redhead boy pondered, yellow eyes travelling up and down my frame. That wasn't creepy at all.

I heard Max growl in annoyance from inside the sack, and I harshly adjusted it in a silent command of "Shut the fuck up before you get caught."

"Uh, yeah, I guess I did..." I distractingly replied, stepping over a large tree root that blocked my path for a second. "What about you? Did you get a new acne treatment or something? Are you changing?"

Pikeman's eyes widened for a split second at my question, before he looked at the ground in contemplation.

"Not really." he replied, before suddenly standing up straight. "However, that doesn't matter! Because the Wood Scouts will take over this Camper Convention, and win the trophy for the greatest advertising!" he bragged, suddenly getting back to his annoyingly normal self. Yeah, he was really out of character for those few moments.

"Okay." I plainly responded, narrowing my eyes a bit at the sudden light of the clearing that held the tent lots. There were around 15 tents already up, but there were hundreds of lots. I'd be able to find our lot with ease if I looked far enough.

Sure enough, I was able to spot our tent lot from far away. It stood on a small hill in the clearing, towards the southern edge. I smiled and sped up my pace, leaving behind a seemingly dejected Edward Pikeman in my dust.

"F/NNNNN, are we almost there? I feel like I'm gonna suffocate in here..." Nikki whined from inside the makeshift sack, voice slightly muffled by cloth.

"Yes, Nikki, we're almost there. Gimme a minute, will ya'?" I fake groaned in response, before climbing the hill and checking the sign once more, just to be sure.

"Yep, this is it, alright," I verbally confirmed to myself, before gently setting down the sack. As the 4 corners of the blanket dropped, Nikki, Max, and Neil all dramatically burst out from their prison, falling face first into the grass.

"FREEDOOOOM!" Nikki shouted, diving into the tall grass and rolling around.

"Ugh, finally. I thought I was going to have to breathe carbon dioxide forever..." Neil gasped, laying on his back next to the blanket. Max just stood up and stretched in satisfaction, a small groan escaping his mouth. He turned to me and asked the question on the trio's mind.

"So now what?"

I hummed in thought, closing my eyes. I wanted to prolong Max, Neil, and Nikki getting caught for as long as possible, but I also wanted them to have a fun time while they were here; so constantly hiding wasn't an option. Suddenly, an idea came to my mind.

"Okay, how about you go walk around the convention site while I set up the tents with Mr. Campbell and David?" I suggested, fiddling with the end of my braid, "There seems to be a lot of things to do here. I think I saw a sign for a park somewhere around here, in fact..."

Nikki, being the little adventurer she was, sprung up out of the grass at the opportunity.

"OOOOH, YEAH!" the teal-haired girl gushed, grabbing Max's and Neil's arm, "C'MON GUYS, LET'S GO EXPLORE!!!"

And with that, the three left, Max and Neil being dragged by an ecstatic Nikki.

"MAKE SURE TO MEET ME AT THE PARK BY 7!!!" I called out after them.

"OKAY!!!" They replied, before disappearing out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I still have depression but shits getting better! Dad and I are getting a house soon so that's some neat shit.


	19. (PREVIEW) Ch 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A preview of chapter 14 because I want yall to know I'm not dead lmao

Hi! I'm not dead! I'm currently working on chapter 14 of Starlight and Stowaways. It's not done, but I want to show you all what's been going on, so I'm giving you a small preview on whats to come! Also, I have a couple warnings.

1.) F/N in this story is NOT HETEROSEXUAL. If you're homophobic, I recommend clicking off this story, or at least the next few chapters. In fact, Chapter 14 is going to be the reader exploring their sexuality. If this makes you uncomfortable, I recommend skipping the next few chapters.

2.) Obviously there's not going to be sex in this story considering majority of the characters are underage, but it's going to speak of sexual themes, which can make others uncomfortable.

Now that you've been warned, here's the preview!

 

Max’s POV

“MAKE SURE TO MEET ME AT THE PARK BY 7!!!” F/N called out to Neil, Nikki, and I as the teal haired girl dragged us down the dirt trail, kicking up dust as she ran.

“OKAY!!!” we all replied, before finding ourselves in the foresty part of the trail. Small beams of light shot through the dense canopy of leaves in the trees above, creating a serene atmosphere.

Well, it WOULD be serene if it weren't for the hundreds of people shoving and bumping each other, all trying to reach their destination. I growled as a particularly fat man stepped on my foot before rudely shoving past me. Suddenly, I was tugged off the trail and into the dense brush.

“Hey, what the fuck!” I complained, glaring at Neil, who had yanked me off the trail with Nikki. We were hiding behind a particularly dense bush, hiding us from the swarm of people walking along the trail I had just been standing in. Nikki pointed to a group of people in the crowd, and my eyes widened in alarm.

David and Mr. Campbell, as well as the leader of the Flower Scouts, and some man in a Wood scout uniform. Probably the leader of the Wood Scouts.

“Oh Jesus, first David and Campbell, now THESE clowns??” I groaned in annoyance. It was hard enough to avoid David and Mr. Campbell. But now, there were TWO more motherfuckers to deal with.

“We’re gonna have to be even more watchful now. Let’s just find the park so we can meet F/N there…” Neil groaned in response, before we were tugged away towards the park by Nikki.

Once we reached the park, I was amazed by the sheer size of it. For a camping site in the middle of the forest, the playgrounds were really up to date and large! Jungle gyms that seemed to tower over our heads and slides that could fling you at extreme velocities met our eyes in a myriad of bright colors, causing Neil and Nikki to gasp in excitement.

“THIS IS AWESOME! COME ON!!” Nikki cheered, grabbing our arms once again and dragging us towards the large metal structures. While I wasn’t super thrilled like Neil and Nikki were, I was still pretty content. It would be difficult to find us in here.

Suddenly, I was on the ground along with Neil and Nikki.

“Oww…” Nikki groaned, rubbing her face. I looked up at what caused us to fall. Or should I say who.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t see you three there!” the girl said, her bright purple hair blocking out the sun. Her hair, like I previously mentioned, was dyed a bright fluorescent purple, braided into cornrows that lead to a large, fluffy ponytail. She had dark skin, bright purple eyes, and was wearing a white button up shirt with a familiar pink sash across her body, as well as a plaid pink shirt, black leggings, and dark brown boots. She looked to be around F/N’s age.

Oh God, she was a Flower Scout.

I stood up and glared at her. “Who the fuck are you?”

She seemed kind of taken aback at my question, before she smiled again.

“My name is Jamison Moore! You might be able to tell from my uniform, but I’m the kid Flowerscout leader!” she introduced, placing a hand on her sash and running a finger along her dozens of batches. Neil’s eyes sparkled.

“Wow… that’s amazing!” he praised, standing up.

Jamison shrugged sheepishly. “Eh, it’s something I guess.”

Suddenly, a voice called out from the trail.

“Jamison! I brought that basket you asked for!” a male voice shouted, revealing a boy who had jogged up to us.

He was tall; way taller than he should be for his age which looked about 15, also about F/N’s age. He had dark brown hair that was messy yet slicked back, olive skin, and black eyes. He was also JACKED. From beneath his Woodscouts uniform, he was practically rippling with muscle. This kid must’ve been in an intense weight training class or something.

The boy handed Jamison a white wicker basket with a red and pink cloth over it, which she gratefully took. Then, the boy looked at us.

“Oh, hey. I don’t think I’ve seen you guys around.” he noted, and Nikki jumped to her feet.

“Hey there ripped guy! We just got here, which is probably why you don’t know us.” she announced, stating the obvious.

The boy let a small smile quirk his lips a bit.

“That’s cool. Then I guess, welcome to CamperCon! I’m Connor, the kid leader of the Woodscouts. What are your guys’ names?”

Nikki grinned proudly. “I’m Nikki! And these two losers are Neil and Max.” she said, and I scoffed at her while Neil just glared. Jamison and Connor snorted.

“Nice to meet you!” Jamison giggled.

“Wait, you guys said that you’re the ‘kid leaders’ of some camps right?” Neil asked, and Connor nodded in confirmation.

“What do you guys do?” Neil continued, and Jamison perked up, before leaning against Connor with her elbow on his shoulder.

“As kid leaders, it’s our job to make sure that the camp is running smoothly if the actual counselors are preoccupied. For example, as a Flowerscout we do a lot of arts and crafts, right? If all the counselors are busy helping other kids and another kid needs help, it’s my job to help them and get them what they need. Make sense?” she explained.

“Yup.”

“Uh huh!”

“Makes sense to me.”

“Now that I think about it…” Nikki hummed in thought, “That sounds a lot like F/N. Do you think she’s our kid leader?”

Everyone stared at Nikki for a second, before Connor spoke.

“Who’s F/N?”

F/N’s POV

“Ugh…” I groaned to myself, wiping the sweat off my forehead with my sleeve. It had to be at least 85 degrees fahrenheit at the moment, and all the work I had done to set up our tent had me working up a sweat. At least I finished my share of the camp set up.

“HEY DAVID! I set up the tents and the fire pit! I’m gonna go explore!” I shouted to the redhead, who quickly gave me a thumbs up, before placing his hand back beneath the white foldable table he was carrying with Mr. Campbell. And with that, I ran into my tent, quickly swapped my pants and long sleeve shirt with shorts and a Camp Campbell T shirt, and head out.

I walked for what seemed like an hour or two. Along the way, I was able to find the food stands, the advertisement stands, the entertainment tent, as well as a multitude of dirt trails. I checked the digital watch that David had let me borrow. It was 6:46, almost time for meeting up with the dumbasses at the park. So, I quickly ditched the line for a temporary tattoo and headed towards the playground.

Or at least I would’ve, had I not been interrupted by a few little girls.

“Oh. My. God. Aren’t you that girl F/N from Camp Campbell?” Sasha asked, tugging on the legs of my shorts. I looked at her and her comrades, surprised that they were here.

“Oh, uh, hey there Flowerscouts. What are you ladies doing here?” I asked, planning my escape. I didn’t really want to be in their presence; they were rude, despite the fact that some of the main principles of being a Flowerscout was to be kind and respectful.

“We could ask YOU the same thing.” Tabii sneered. I rolled my eyes and turned around to walk away from them, but they weren’t having it.

I yelped in pain as Sasha grabbed a fistful of my braid, yanking me back. I whipped around and glared at her.

“The fuck is your problem? And don’t touch my hair!” I scolded, pulling out of her grasp, “Besides, aren’t you Flowerscouts supposed to be respectful and kind and shit like that?”

They seemed to shut up immediately after that and I smirked in triumph, only to realize they weren’t looking at me. Then, a gentle arm placed itself on my shoulder.

I turned around to see-

Holy shit.

She was so beautiful.

The angel - or girl - whoever she was - had smooth brown skin, radiant purple hair pulled back into a large, cloud-like ponytail that seemed to glow from the setting sun coming from outside, and equally bright violet eyes that were full of warmth and kindness…

Was I dreaming?

As she spoke to me, I noticed how soft her plump lips looked, the adorable little tooth gap between her two front teeth, and her voice… As she spoke to me, it sounded like an audio embodiment of the feeling when you get to go to bed after a long day. Her voice was so smooth, so full of comfort…

I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Uhh, are you okay?” the girl asked, and I snapped out of my daydream. I felt my face go red in embarrassment, and I scratched the back of my neck.

“Ahahaha, sorry! I was trying to comprehend what you said…” I nervously admitted. The girl smiled and giggled at me, and I felt blood rush to my ears.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s cool! Anyways, were my campers bothering you?” she asked, gesturing to the three young girls who had antagonized me before, who were now looking at the ground in shame and embarrassment. I blinked, before nodding.

“Yeah. They yanked my hair.” I answered, and Sasha shuffled her feet, obviously not wanting to be there.

“Good to know,” the girl said, before extending her hand out for me to shake. “I’m Jamison, by the way. I’m the kid leader of the Flowerscouts. It’s nice to meet you!”

I stared at her hand for a second before smiling and shaking it. “I’m F/N! I’m the head camper of Camp Campbell. It’s nice to meet you too.”

Max’s POV

After meeting Jamison and Connor, we went around to go find F/N. Being careful to avoid David, Neil, Nikki, and I had to hide behind Connor, who’s muscular body easily hid us from their sight. Finally, after maybe a few hours of trying out some food and searching some of the trails, we found the H/C girl in the entertainment tent being harassed by the younger Flowerscouts. Seeing this, Jamison growled and marched up behind F/N, and everything seemed to go well from there. The rest of us stood behind, watching the scene unfold. However, once Jamison introduced herself, F/N had made a face I had never seen her make before.

She had looked like she saw a ghost, but was extremely pleased to see it. Her face had slowly turned red in a blush, eyes staring wide, pupils dilating to a size I didn’t know possible. While speaking with Jamison, F/N seemed nervous, sheepish almost, but she definitely seemed to enjoy her presence.

…

…

… oh.

OH.

OOOOOOOOOHHH!!!!

It suddenly clicked in my head what was happening with F/N, and I grinned mischievously.

“Uhhh, Max? What’s that face for…?” Neil nervously squeaked. I grinned even wider.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s matchmaking time.”


End file.
